WHO Issues Alert Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Jabs
Fewer than 10% of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
Per projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Despite the present best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of a leading brand – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Injections Work
These medications replicate a biological compound to slow digestion, curb appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
People typically see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, as their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for developing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
