WHO Sounds Alert Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs
Less than one in 10 patients eligible to benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, warns the global health agency as it releases its inaugural recommendations on the drugs.
With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer availability to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, in excess of 2,000,000,000 are projected to be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.
"The new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a chronic disease that can be managed with holistic and ongoing support," stated the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Substantial prices, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are major barriers to universal access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, explains the agency.
Skinny Jab Scarcity
Even in the current best projected outlook, the production of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.
The guideline urges governments and firms to expand access, through measures including patent sharing.
The intellectual property rights on a key compound – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Injections Work
The injections replicate a natural hormone to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and increase satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections.
Evidence suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their normal appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for developing diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and some malignancies.
Excess weight impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
