🔗 Share this article WHO Raises Alert Over Acute Shortage of Obesity Medications Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies. Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication. Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention. "Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the agency. GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization. The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches like voluntary licensing. A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026. How Weight-Loss Injections Function The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories. Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses. Research suggests people may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, when their typical hunger resume. Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies. Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
Fewer than 10% of patients that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the therapies. Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication. Per forecasts, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 without intervention. "Our new guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, says the agency. GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the health organization. The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen availability, via approaches like voluntary licensing. A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of a leading brand – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026. How Weight-Loss Injections Function The injections replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories. Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the regular doses. Research suggests people may see weight return within a year of stopping the medication, when their typical hunger resume. Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies. Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.