The Global Health Body Issues Alert Over Critical Lack of Weight-Loss Injections

Under 10% of patients that would benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its initial advice on the medications.

Given over a billion people worldwide currently classified as obese, it is advocating for broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs.

Per projections, over two billion could be living with obesity by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The latest guidance affirms that excess weight is a long-term condition that can be treated with holistic and ongoing care," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Significant expense, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major hurdles to widespread availability to the injections that can aid individuals in losing significant body mass, says the body.

Skinny Jab Supply Crisis

Even in the current most favorable outlook, the supply of such drugs might only reach around 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.

The recommendation urges governments and firms to widen access, by measures like patent sharing.

A patent on semaglutide – the main ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.

The Way Obesity Injections Operate

GLP-1 drugs replicate a biological compound to reduce digestion speed, curb appetite and boost satiety so people consume fewer calories.

Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds after several weeks of beginning the weekly injections.

Evidence indicates people may put most of the weight back on after a year of halting the drug, when their usual food cravings return.

To be above a healthy weight elevates your risk for experiencing health problems, including diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies.

Excess weight affects people in every country and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.