World Health Organization Sounds Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Obesity Jabs

Less than a tenth of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the drugs.

With more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.

Based on projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"Our latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are key barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, says the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis

Even in the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.

The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to widen access, via approaches including licensing agreements.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.

How Obesity Drugs Work

GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so people eat less.

Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the drug, as their normal appetite resume.

Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.

Obesity impacts people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.