ResearchSafe

WHO says GLP-1 shortages will derail obesity fight, prices have to drop

Posted by weekendnate in Weight Loss & Metabolic - 1 points, 2 comments.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/dec/01/who-says-weight-loss-drugs-are-new-chapter-in-fight-against-obesity

The Guardian ran a piece on the WHO warning that shortages of Mounjaro, Ozempic, and similar drugs will slow progress against obesity unless manufacturers lower prices and scale up production. They also flagged that people in lower income countries are getting priced out, which I think is the real story here.

The access angle frustrates me. We talk endlessly about titration schedules and side effects on forums like this, but a lot of the world will never even get a first dose. If the WHO is right that pricing has to drop by an order of magnitude for these to matter at a population level, that should change how we think about who actually benefits long term.

Curious what others think. Does the supply story worry you about your own protocol continuity, or is it mostly an ethics question you file away?

Comments

  • retired_coldplunge: Honestly the supply piece worries me more than the ethics angle, fwiw. I'm in Canada and even here stock has been spotty the last few months. My pharmacy had to substitute twice, which messes with titration because you don't know if you're getting the same concentration you planned around. The global access point is brutal though. If a 10x price drop is what it actually takes to move the needle on obesity at population scale, then most of what gets debated in forums is basically a first world l
  • weekendnate: The pharmacy substitution thing is exactly what scares me. If you're mid-titration and the concentration drifts, you're flying blind on side effects and appetite control. I've been lucky so far, no stockouts in my area in the Midwest, but I've been calling my pharmacy ahead of each refill just to confirm they actually have my dose on the shelf before I drive over. Small thing but it saves a panic. The "first world luxury conversation" line is going to stick with me. Not much to add to it, you n

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.