World Health Organization Sounds Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Obesity Injections

Less than 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the drugs.

Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

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

"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous care," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even under the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the health organization.

The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, through approaches such as patent sharing.

A patent on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate

GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so people eat less.

Individuals typically start to lose weight after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Research points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their normal hunger resume.

To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.