The Global Health Body Sounds Concern Over Acute Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs

Less than 10% of individuals who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.

Considering more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.

Based on forecasts, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are key hurdles to universal availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable weight, says the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Even under the current best projected outlook, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice encourages countries and companies to increase access, via measures like patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in multiple nations in 2026.

How Obesity Injections Work

These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so individuals eat less.

Patients commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, when their typical hunger come back.

To be overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some cancers.

Excess weight affects people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.