WHO Raises Warning Over Acute Scarcity of Obesity Jabs

Fewer than one in 10 people eligible to benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it publishes its initial recommendations on the therapies.

Considering more than one billion individuals worldwide currently classified as obese, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication.

Based on forecasts, more than two billion are projected to be living with obesity by 2030 without intervention.

"The latest guidance acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with thorough and continuous treatment," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, insufficient output, and distribution challenges are major hurdles to broad availability to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing considerable body mass, notes the agency.

Skinny Jab Shortage

Even under the current most favorable case, the manufacturing of such drugs would only suffice for approximately 100 million people – under 10% of those who need them, per the WHO.

The advice encourages nations and manufacturers to expand availability, via strategies like patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is scheduled to end in several nations in 2026.

The Way Weight-Loss Drugs Function

GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to delay gastric emptying, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories.

People typically start to lose weight after several weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Evidence suggests patients may see weight return a year later of halting the treatment, because their normal food cravings come back.

Being above a healthy weight raises your chance for experiencing medical conditions, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and specific malignancies.

Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.