🔗 Share this article WHO Issues Warning Over Critical Lack of Obesity Medications Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs. With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication. Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken. "Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the organization. GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing. A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026. How Weight-Loss Jabs Work The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake. People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections. Evidence suggests users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their typical hunger resume. Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies. Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from obesity jabs such as Wegovy have access to them, warns the World Health Organization as it issues its first recommendations on the drugs. With in excess of 1,000,000,000 people worldwide now classified as obese, it is advocating for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication. Based on estimates, more than two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken. "Our latest guidelines recognises that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be managed with comprehensive and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are major hurdles to broad availability to the treatments that can assist patients in reducing significant body mass, explains the organization. GLP-1 Therapy Scarcity Even in the current most optimistic case, the production of GLP-1 therapies might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The advice urges nations and manufacturers to expand availability, through strategies like patent sharing. A patent on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026. How Weight-Loss Jabs Work The injections replicate a biological compound to delay gastric emptying, suppress the appetite and boost the sense of being full so people reduce food intake. People usually see weight reduction within a few weeks of beginning the weekly injections. Evidence suggests users may see weight return a year later of discontinuing the drug, because their typical hunger resume. Being overweight or obese raises your likelihood for contracting diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular issues, stroke, and some malignancies. Obesity impacts individuals in countries worldwide and was responsible for 3.7 million fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.