World Health Organization Sounds Warning Over Acute Lack of Obesity Medications

Fewer than one in 10 individuals who could benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the medications.

With more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs.

According to forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 will be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken.

"The new guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and lifelong treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to universal access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, notes the body.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even under the current most favorable scenario, the manufacturing of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO.

The recommendation urges governments and firms to increase access, via strategies like voluntary licensing.

A patent on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple nations in 2026.

How Obesity Jabs Function

These medications mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals eat less.

Patients typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Research points to people may regain a significant portion after a year of stopping the medication, when their usual hunger come back.

To be overweight or obese increases your chance for developing diseases, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain cancers.

Excess weight affects people in all nations and was linked to millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.