🔗 Share this article WHO Issues Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the therapies. Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs. According to estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention. "The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body. Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Even under the current most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization. The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, through measures like patent sharing. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026. The Way Obesity Injections Work These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less. People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs. Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings resume. Being overweight or obese raises your risk for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies. Obesity affects people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
Under one in 10 individuals eligible to benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, states the WHO as it issues its inaugural guidance on the therapies. Given more than one billion individuals worldwide now living with obesity, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs. According to estimates, over two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention. "The latest guidelines affirms that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and lifelong care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. High costs, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can help people shift considerable body mass, notes the body. Weight-Loss Drug Shortage Even under the current most favorable case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the health organization. The guideline calls on governments and firms to expand access, through measures like patent sharing. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026. The Way Obesity Injections Work These medications replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase feelings of fullness so users eat less. People commonly see weight reduction after several weeks of starting on the once-weekly jabs. Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the medication, when their usual food cravings resume. Being overweight or obese raises your risk for developing medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific malignancies. Obesity affects people in every country and was linked to 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.