WHO Issues Warning Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first advice on the drugs.

With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

Per projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis

Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.

The advice encourages countries and companies to increase availability, by approaches such as patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work

These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so people eat less.

Patients typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Research indicates users may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, when their normal hunger resume.

To be overweight or obese increases your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.

Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.