WHO Raises Concern Over Severe Lack of Weight-Loss Jabs
Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the medications.
Given over a billion individuals worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the body.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, by strategies including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
Individuals usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies points to patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, because their typical appetite come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and certain malignancies.
Obesity impacts people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
