The Global Health Body Raises Alert Over Severe Lack of Obesity Jabs
Under 10% of people that would benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy can access them, states the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural guidance on the drugs.
With over a billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.
Per estimates, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with thorough and ongoing support," remarked the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread access to the treatments that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, notes the organization.
GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity
Even under the current best projected outlook, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies including voluntary licensing.
A patent on a key compound – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Work
These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections.
Research suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, because their normal food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.
Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
