The Global Health Body Raises Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs
Fewer than one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first advice on the drugs.
Given over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidance recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal availability to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing substantial weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Even in the current best projected case, the production of these medications could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand availability, through measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on the active ingredient – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
The injections mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users consume fewer calories.
People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence indicates patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
