The Global Health Body Raises Concern Over Severe Lack of Weight-Loss Jabs

Fewer than a tenth of people who could benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs.

Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently obese, it is urging increased and just access to GLP-1 medication.

Per estimates, more than two billion will be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"Our latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be addressed with holistic and lifelong care," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, constrained manufacturing, and logistical bottlenecks are key barriers to broad availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the organization.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Even in the current most optimistic outlook, the supply of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, according to the WHO.

The recommendation encourages countries and companies to widen availability, through strategies including patent sharing.

The intellectual property rights on the active ingredient – the core component of a leading brand – is set to lapse in a number of nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Drugs Function

These medications mimick a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users consume fewer calories.

People usually see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the weekly injections.

Studies suggests users may put most of the weight back on within a year of halting the drug, when their normal appetite return.

Being above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting medical conditions, like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.

Excess weight affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.