The Global Health Body Sounds Alert Over Critical Lack of Obesity Injections
Fewer than one in 10 patients that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.
Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with comprehensive and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key hurdles to widespread access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the present most favorable case, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges countries and companies to expand access, by measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
These medications replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.
Patients usually start to lose weight in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests users may regain a significant portion a year later of discontinuing the treatment, when their normal food cravings come back.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
