World Health Organization Raises Concern Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Jabs

Under 10% of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the World Health Organization as it publishes its first advice on the therapies.

Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

According to projections, over two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the organization.

GLP-1 Therapy Supply Crisis

Despite the present most favorable outlook, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of the global need, per the WHO.

The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to widen availability, through measures including patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Operate

These medications mimick a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals eat less.

People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.

Research points to people may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the drug, as their normal food cravings resume.

Being above a healthy weight increases your chance for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.