World Health Organization Issues Alert Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications

Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it issues its inaugural guidance on the drugs.

Considering more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The new guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal access to the injections that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body.

Skinny Jab Scarcity

Despite the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The advice encourages governments and firms to widen availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.

Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function

The injections imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Studies points to users may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal food cravings resume.

To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.