World Health Organization Issues Warning Over Critical Lack of Weight-Loss Injections
Fewer than one in 10 people that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy are able to get them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is urging increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, says the body.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The recommendation encourages countries and companies to increase access, via measures such as patent sharing.
Exclusive production rights on a key compound – the core component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Function
The injections imitate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and enhance feelings of fullness so people eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.
Evidence indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the medication, because their usual food cravings resume.
Being overweight or obese raises your chance for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some cancers.
Obesity concerns individuals in all nations and was responsible for over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.
