World Health Organization Sounds Concern Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications
Less than one in 10 people who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.
According to estimates, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant weight, notes the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the present best projected outlook, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, by strategies including patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal hunger return.
Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.