The Global Health Body Raises Warning Over Acute Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections
Less than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift significant weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, via approaches such as voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so people reduce food intake.
People usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, when their normal hunger return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
