WHO Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and ongoing support," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even under the present most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.
The advice calls on countries and companies to widen availability, by measures including voluntary licensing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates patients may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the medication, when their normal food cravings come back.
To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects people in every country and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
