🔗 Share this article WHO Raises Warning Over Severe Scarcity of Weight-Loss Injections Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies. Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication. According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken. "Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the body. Skinny Jab Shortage Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization. The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements. A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026. The Way Obesity Injections Work These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users eat less. Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections. Research points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite come back. To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers. Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.
Under one in 10 people eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its inaugural advice on the therapies. Considering over a billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for broader and more equitable access to GLP-1 medication. According to forecasts, over two billion could be obese by 2030 unless action is taken. "Our new guidelines acknowledges that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with thorough and lifelong care," remarked its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Significant expense, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are key obstacles to universal access to the jabs that can aid individuals in losing significant weight, notes the body. Skinny Jab Shortage Even in the present most optimistic scenario, the manufacturing of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, per the health organization. The recommendation encourages nations and manufacturers to increase availability, through strategies such as licensing agreements. A patent on the active ingredient – the core ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in a number of countries in 2026. The Way Obesity Injections Work These medications replicate a body's own hormone to reduce digestion speed, reduce hunger and enhance satiety so users eat less. Patients usually begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of commencing the weekly injections. Research points to users may see weight return after a year of discontinuing the medication, when their typical appetite come back. To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for contracting health problems, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific cancers. Obesity impacts individuals in every country and was linked to over three and a half million deaths worldwide in 2024, per the WHO.