The Global Health Body Raises Concern Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Jabs

Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.

With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.

According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Shortage

Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice urges governments and firms to expand access, through approaches such as patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate

These medications imitate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance satiety so people eat less.

Patients commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Research indicates patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.

To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.