World Health Organization Issues Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs
Under 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the World Health Organization as it publishes its initial advice on the drugs.
Given in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
Per estimates, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are key obstacles to universal availability to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Despite the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, according to the health organization.
The advice calls on governments and firms to expand access, via measures like patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and enhance the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Studies suggests people may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the treatment, as their normal food cravings return.
Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
