World Health Organization Issues Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Obesity Jabs
Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.
Per estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong treatment," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant hurdles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The recommendation calls on countries and companies to increase availability, by measures including voluntary licensing.
The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Operate
These medications mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.
People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Evidence suggests people may see weight return after a year of stopping the drug, as their usual hunger return.
Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
