The Global Health Body Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Obesity Injections
Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first guidance on the medications.
Given over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, over two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"Our latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are significant obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.
The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand access, via approaches such as licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance the sense of being full so users consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the drug, when their typical food cravings resume.
Being carrying excess weight raises your likelihood for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific cancers.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
