WHO Raises Warning Over Severe Lack of Obesity Jabs

Fewer than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it publishes its first recommendations on the medications.

Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.

Based on forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.

"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a lifelong illness that can be treated with holistic and ongoing treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, explains the agency.

Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis

Even under the present most optimistic scenario, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.

The advice calls on governments and firms to increase access, via strategies like patent sharing.

Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the main component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Operate

GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and enhance satiety so people reduce food intake.

Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Research points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the drug, when their typical food cravings come back.

To be overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.

Obesity affects people in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.