WHO Raises Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs
Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to universal availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the agency.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Despite the current most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, according to the health organization.
The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to expand access, by measures including licensing agreements.
A patent on a key compound – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Drugs Work
GLP-1 drugs imitate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
People commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of discontinuing the medication, because their normal food cravings resume.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain cancers.
Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
