WHO Raises Warning Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications

Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the WHO as it publishes its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.

Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.

Based on estimates, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the body.

Skinny Jab Scarcity

Even in the present best projected outlook, the supply of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.

The guideline calls on governments and firms to widen access, through measures including licensing agreements.

A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Injections Work

The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.

Studies indicates patients may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the drug, because their typical food cravings return.

To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.