World Health Organization Issues Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Injections
Fewer than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and lifelong support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to broad access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the body.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even under the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people β less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to increase access, through strategies such as licensing agreements.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide β the main component of the drug Wegovy β is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Obesity Injections Function
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase satiety so people reduce food intake.
People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence points to patients may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the treatment, as their usual hunger resume.
Being above a healthy weight raises your risk for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.