The Global Health Body Sounds Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections

Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural advice on the therapies.

Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to these injectable treatments.

Per forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Even in the present most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.

The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, by measures including voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Operate

GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.

Individuals usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their typical hunger return.

Being overweight or obese increases your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some malignancies.

Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.