WHO Issues Alert Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Injections

Fewer than 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural advice on the therapies.

Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.

According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even in the current most optimistic case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization.

The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, by measures including licensing agreements.

A patent on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Function

The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

Patients typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.

Research points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, because their usual appetite return.

To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for contracting diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Obesity impacts people in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.