🔗 Share this article WHO Sounds Warning Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Medications Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications. Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs. According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken. "The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the body. Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Even under the present best projected outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies like licensing agreements. A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026. How Weight-Loss Drugs Work The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake. People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs. Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, when their typical appetite return. To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers. Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
Less than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the medications. Given more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs. According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken. "The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be managed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift considerable weight, notes the body. Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Even under the present best projected outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The advice urges countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies like licensing agreements. A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026. How Weight-Loss Drugs Work The injections imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake. People commonly start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs. Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the drug, when their typical appetite return. To be above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers. Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.