The escalating global popularity of weight loss injections has triggered unexpected outcomes in healthcare systems worldwide. While these treatments gain momentum in opulent regions, the request for insulin, essential for managing diabetes, has skyrocketed globally, impacting accessibility in Africa.
In Africa, where diabetes preponderance poses a substantial health challenge, the dearth of insulin has heightened.
As resources are diverted to meet the increasing demand for weight loss injections elsewhere, many African nations face critical shortages, aggravating discrepancies in access to healthcare.
The discrepancy in healthcare preferences is stark, while affluent global regions accentuate innovative weight loss therapies, important medications like insulin become scarce in Africa.
The concern underscores broader problems of healthcare equity and emphasises the urgent need for international attention and action.
Insulin scarcity: Potential Diabetic healthcare crisis
The demand for weight loss injections has surged, driven by both medical and cosmetic reasons.
Semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy, a weight loss injection approved by the NHS in England has gained popularity recently due to its effectiveness. Administered via skin injection, Wegovy makes people feel fuller, leading to reduced calorie intake. Clinical trials have showed that it can help people reduce their weight when combined with nutrition and lifestyle changes. Other brands such as Ozempic, a diabetes medicine containing Semaglutide, is also used for weight loss.
Some celebrities have testified to the effectiveness of weight loss injections, further driving public demand.
The market for anti-obesity medications, including weight loss injections, is projected to be worth between £64 billion and £120 billion annually by 2030.
What materials do weight loss injections and Insulin have in common?
Weight loss injections and Insulin share some commonalities in their composition. Both typically consist of proteins and other components.
Both weight loss injections (such as Semaglutide) and Insulin are protein-based medications. Whilst Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels, helping cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Weight loss injections such as Semglutide on the other hand mimics the action of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor which regulates blood sugar and appetite.
Both Insulin and weight loss injections are formulated as solutions for injection. They are administered subcutaneously (under the skin) using a syringe or pen device. Both are delivered via similar injection methods, site and technique.
With only a handful of available Insulin syringe or pen devices manufacturers, the demand to supply the weightless injections puts new pressure on the manufacturers.
Unequal access to Insulin – Endurable Solutions
In Africa, insulin inaccessibility contributes to 321,000 diabetes-related deaths annually. Without treatment, post-diagnosis life expectancy for a diabetic child is less than one year
Today, Africa is experiencing a key epidemiological transition. More than 15 million Africans have diabetes type I & II, where 1/3rd of them need insulin.
Reports reveal that thousands of children are struggling with type-1 diabetes. By 2030, the diabetic population in Africa is estimated to have doubled.
Without insulin treatment, post-diagnosis life expectancy is less than one year for a diabetic child.
Shockingly, young Western diabetics get a chance to live a long life like non-diabetics. Steps must be taken to safeguard shortcoming in access to diabetes medication otherwise it will transform into a huge burden for families with low and mid-income.
Efforts to improve access should include boosting production, regulating prices, and promoting local manufacturing.
According to the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), efforts to increase access to life-saving diabetes medicines is one of the workstreams of the Global Diabetes Compact, launched in April 2021.
The program is bringing together national governments, UN organisations, nongovernmental organisations, private sector entities, academic institutions, philanthropic foundations, people living with diabetes and international donors to work towards a world where all people at risk of or living with diabetes can access the care they need.
Dealing with the insulin shortage in Africa requires a collective measure from global health stakeholders.
It necessitates reanalysing healthcare guidelines to ensure important medications are universally available, regardless of regional economic differences or healthcare trends.
Moving forward, endurable healthcare solutions must prioritise the unbiased distribution of medical resources.
The global transformation towards weight loss injections serves as a poignant reminder of the need for balanced healthcare developments that prioritise necessary treatments for all populations, especially in underserved regions like Africa.
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