The Global Health Body Raises Alert Over Acute Lack of Obesity Medications
Under 10% of individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its initial recommendations on the medications.
With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging more widespread and fairer access to these injectable treatments.
According to projections, over two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the jabs that can help people shift significant body mass, explains the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the present most optimistic case, the manufacturing of these medications might only reach around 100 million people â less than 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.
The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by strategies including licensing agreements.
A patent on semaglutide â the main component of the drug Wegovy â is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Injections Operate
The injections mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.
Individuals commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, when their normal hunger return.
To be overweight or obese raises your chance for developing medical conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity affects individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
