The Global Health Body Issues Concern Over Severe Shortage of Weight-Loss Jabs
Under one in 10 patients who could benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its inaugural guidance on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer availability to GLP-1 medication.
According to forecasts, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.
"The latest guidance recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are significant barriers to universal access to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic outlook, the production of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.
The recommendation calls on governments and firms to expand access, through strategies such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.
How Obesity Drugs Work
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Research suggests patients may regain a significant portion within a year of discontinuing the drug, when their normal appetite come back.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your chance for contracting medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.