World Health Organization Raises Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Obesity Medications

Less than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs.

With over a billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.

Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and lifelong treatment," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant hurdles to broad availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, notes the body.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures such as patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.

How Obesity Drugs Function

GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.

People usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the regular doses.

Studies points to patients may see weight return within a year of halting the drug, as their typical hunger come back.

Being above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.

Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.