WHO Sounds Alert Over Critical Lack of Obesity Jabs

Under 10% of individuals who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.

Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.

According to forecasts, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major obstacles to widespread access to the jabs that can help people shift significant weight, notes the body.

GLP-1 Therapy Shortage

Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the health organization.

The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen access, by strategies like voluntary licensing.

A patent on a key compound – the primary component of a leading brand – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Work

These medications replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and boost satiety so people eat less.

Patients commonly start to lose weight in the initial weeks of commencing the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on within a year of stopping the drug, when their typical hunger resume.

Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for contracting health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies.

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