WHO Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs
Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy can access them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for increased and just access to this class of drugs.
Per projections, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and ongoing support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key hurdles to universal availability to the injections that can assist patients in reducing considerable weight, explains the organization.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase access, through measures like voluntary licensing.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026.
The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function
The injections replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost feelings of fullness so individuals consume fewer calories.
Patients commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies suggests people may see weight return after a year of halting the drug, when their usual food cravings resume.
To be carrying excess weight elevates your likelihood for developing health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns people in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.
