WHO Raises Alert Over Severe Lack of Obesity Injections

Fewer than 10% of patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.

Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

Per forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our new guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, says the body.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Even under the present best projected scenario, the supply of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.

The guideline urges governments and firms to increase access, via strategies like voluntary licensing.

Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Operate

These medications imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.

People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.

Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers.

Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.