World Health Organization Issues Alert Over Critical Shortage of Obesity Jabs
Less than a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.
With over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
According to projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and lifelong care," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable body mass, explains the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover about 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice urges governments and firms to expand availability, via measures such as patent sharing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.
Research points to people may put most of the weight back on a year later of stopping the treatment, as their usual appetite come back.
Being overweight or obese elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight affects individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
