The Global Health Body Sounds Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Obesity Jabs
Less than 10% of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural advice on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong support," said its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis
Despite the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase availability, through strategies including patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
The Way Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates users may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, when their normal food cravings come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your chance for contracting medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
