WHO Issues Alert Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections

Fewer than 10% of people that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial recommendations on the drugs.

Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.

According to forecasts, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key barriers to widespread availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the agency.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even in the current most optimistic scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.

The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, by strategies like voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate

The injections imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.

Individuals typically start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the medication, when their usual food cravings resume.

Being overweight or obese elevates your risk for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.

Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.