WHO Raises Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs

Under one in 10 patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy can access them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the drugs.

Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.

Based on estimates, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The new guidelines affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift significant body mass, says the body.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Even in the present best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.

The advice urges governments and firms to widen access, by approaches like patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the main component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Jabs Operate

The injections imitate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people consume fewer calories.

People commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs.

Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, as their typical hunger return.

Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for contracting diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.

Excess weight impacts people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.