The Global Health Body Sounds Concern Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Jabs

Fewer than one in 10 individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy can access them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial guidance on the drugs.

Considering in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide currently obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the agency.

GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity

Despite the current most favorable scenario, the supply of these medications would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.

The advice encourages countries and companies to widen availability, through measures such as voluntary licensing.

A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in a number of nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Jabs Work

The injections replicate a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, curb appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users consume fewer calories.

People usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Studies points to users may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the treatment, as their typical appetite return.

Being above a healthy weight increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.

Excess weight concerns individuals in every country and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.