The Global Health Body Raises Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Less than 10% of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the WHO as it releases its first advice on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity
Even under the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand access, through strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Work
These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.
Individuals usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their typical food cravings return.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
