World Health Organization Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections
Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be treated with thorough and ongoing treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major barriers to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.
The guideline encourages governments and firms to widen access, through measures including patent sharing.
A patent on the active ingredient – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of commencing the regular doses.
Studies indicates people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, because their typical appetite return.
Being carrying excess weight raises your chance for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
