WHO Raises Concern Over Severe Shortage of Obesity Medications
Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to these injectable treatments.
According to forecasts, over two billion will be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The latest guidance affirms that obesity is a lifelong illness that can be managed with holistic and continuous support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected case, the production of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges countries and companies to increase access, by measures like licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in several countries in 2026.
The Way Obesity Jabs Operate
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals reduce food intake.
Patients commonly start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests people may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, because their normal hunger come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
