The Global Health Body Sounds Warning Over Acute Lack of Obesity Injections
Under a tenth of people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy are able to get them, caution the WHO as it releases its first advice on the drugs.
Given more than one billion people worldwide now living with obesity, it is calling for increased and just access to these injectable treatments.
Based on projections, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.
"The new guidance affirms that obesity is a long-term condition that can be addressed with comprehensive and continuous care," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, limited production capacity, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the jabs that can assist patients in reducing substantial weight, explains the organization.
Weight-Loss Drug Shortage
Even in the present most favorable case, the supply of these medications could only cover about 100 million people – fewer than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO.
The advice calls on countries and companies to increase availability, via strategies like voluntary licensing.
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 Jabs Work
The injections mimick a body's own hormone to slow digestion, reduce hunger and boost the sense of being full so people consume fewer calories.
Patients typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the regular doses.
Studies points to patients may see weight return within a year of discontinuing the medication, because their usual food cravings come back.
To be overweight or obese increases your risk for experiencing health problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.
Obesity concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.
