WHO Issues Warning Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Medications

Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the therapies.

Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.

According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the agency.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Despite the current most optimistic case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The guideline urges governments and firms to widen availability, by approaches including patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Function

The injections imitate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so users eat less.

Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Research points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, because their usual food cravings return.

Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.

Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.