WHO Raises Concern Over Critical Shortage of Weight-Loss Jabs

Less than a tenth of individuals eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the global health agency as it releases its first advice on the therapies.

Given over a billion individuals worldwide now classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.

According to estimates, more than two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can help people shift substantial weight, explains the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Shortage

Even under the current most favorable case, the production of these medications might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.

The guideline encourages nations and manufacturers to increase access, via approaches like voluntary licensing.

A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.

How Obesity Jabs Operate

GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so users reduce food intake.

People commonly see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Studies suggests users may see weight return a year later of stopping the medication, when their typical appetite return.

Being overweight or obese increases your likelihood for experiencing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Obesity concerns individuals in every country and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.