WHO Raises Alert Over Critical Shortage of Obesity Jabs
Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy can access them, states the WHO as it issues its first guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Based on projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current most favorable case, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization.
The recommendation urges countries and companies to widen availability, via strategies including voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Function
These medications imitate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their usual appetite return.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns people in every country and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
