The Global Health Body Sounds Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Jabs
Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it releases its first recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Even in the present most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen access, through strategies like patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Function
The injections mimick a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.
People usually start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Studies suggests patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the medication, because their usual food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
