World Health Organization Raises Alert Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial guidance on the drugs.

With over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.

Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to widespread availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the production of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.

The advice urges countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies including patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Injections Function

GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.

Individuals typically begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.

Studies suggests users may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the treatment, as their normal hunger resume.

Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.