The Global Health Body Issues Alert Over Acute Shortage of Weight-Loss Jabs
Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the World Health Organization as it publishes its first recommendations on the drugs.
Considering over a billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to GLP-1 medication.
Based on estimates, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention.
"Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and ongoing support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, constrained manufacturing, and supply-chain constraints are significant obstacles to broad availability to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, notes the body.
GLP-1 Therapy Shortage
Despite the current most optimistic outlook, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline calls on governments and firms to increase access, via measures including patent sharing.
A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
GLP-1 drugs mimick a body's own hormone to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost feelings of fullness so users eat less.
Individuals usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies suggests patients may regain a significant portion a year later of halting the treatment, when their usual food cravings come back.
Being above a healthy weight elevates your chance for experiencing diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Obesity impacts individuals in all nations and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
