The Global Health Body Sounds Concern Over Acute Shortage of Weight-Loss Injections
Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Considering over a billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Despite the present best projected case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges governments and firms to widen access, via strategies including licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function
GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so individuals reduce food intake.
People usually see weight reduction after several weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, when their normal food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight increases your risk for experiencing medical conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Excess weight concerns people in all nations and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.