World Health Organization Issues Concern Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Medications

Less than 10% of people who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the medications.

With more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.

According to projections, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread availability to the injections that can help people shift significant body mass, notes the agency.

Skinny Jab Scarcity

Even in the present best projected outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.

The advice urges countries and companies to widen access, through strategies like patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function

The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users reduce food intake.

People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Research points to patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal appetite return.

To be carrying excess weight increases your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.