🔗 Share this article The Global Health Body Issues Concern Over Severe Scarcity of Obesity Jabs Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the drugs. Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication. According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken. "Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency. Skinny Jab Scarcity Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, through measures like licensing agreements. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026. The Way Obesity Drugs Work GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less. Individuals usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections. Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual food cravings return. To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies. Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
Fewer than one in 10 patients who could benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, states the global health agency as it releases its initial advice on the drugs. Given more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for increased and just availability to GLP-1 medication. According to forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken. "Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with thorough and continuous support," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency. Skinny Jab Scarcity Even under the current most favorable scenario, the supply of such drugs would only suffice for about 100 million people – under 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The advice calls on governments and firms to widen access, through measures like licensing agreements. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026. The Way Obesity Drugs Work GLP-1 drugs mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so people eat less. Individuals usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections. Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion a year later of stopping the treatment, when their usual food cravings return. To be carrying excess weight raises your risk for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain malignancies. Excess weight concerns individuals in all nations and was associated with 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.