The Global Health Body Raises Concern Over Severe Lack of Weight-Loss Medications

Fewer than 10% of people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs including Wegovy are able to get them, warns the WHO as it issues its first advice on the therapies.

Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just availability to these injectable treatments.

Per estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous support," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to widespread access to the treatments that can help people shift considerable body mass, says the agency.

Skinny Jab Scarcity

Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the supply of GLP-1 therapies would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, according to the WHO.

The recommendation calls on nations and manufacturers to increase availability, by strategies such as licensing agreements.

The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of nations in 2026.

How Weight-Loss Drugs Operate

These medications mimick a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake.

Individuals usually begin shedding pounds after several weeks of commencing the weekly injections.

Research suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of halting the medication, because their usual food cravings resume.

To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.

Excess weight concerns people in countries worldwide and was associated with over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.