WHO Sounds Concern Over Severe Scarcity of Obesity Medications
Less than 10% of patients that would benefit from weight-loss injections like Wegovy have access to them, caution the WHO as it issues its inaugural recommendations on the medications.
Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable access to this class of drugs.
Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.
"Our latest guidance acknowledges that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with holistic and continuous treatment," said the agency's head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
High costs, insufficient output, and supply-chain constraints are key obstacles to universal availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing considerable weight, notes the agency.
Skinny Jab Supply Crisis
Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the production of such drugs might only reach approximately 100 million people – fewer than 10% of eligible patients, as stated by the WHO.
The guideline urges nations and manufacturers to increase access, through strategies including licensing agreements.
Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary component of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in multiple countries in 2026.
How Weight-Loss Jabs Operate
The injections replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, suppress the appetite and boost satiety so individuals consume fewer calories.
Individuals typically see weight reduction in the initial weeks of starting on the regular doses.
Studies suggests people may put most of the weight back on a year later of halting the medication, when their typical appetite come back.
To be above a healthy weight increases your risk for contracting diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and specific cancers.
Excess weight affects individuals in all nations and was associated with over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the health agency.