🔗 Share this article The Global Health Body Sounds Warning Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the therapies. Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs. Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention. "Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body. GLP-1 Therapy Shortage Even under the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO. The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures including voluntary licensing. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026. The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake. People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections. Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal appetite resume. Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.
Fewer than a tenth of patients who could benefit from GLP-1 drugs including Wegovy can access them, caution the World Health Organization as it releases its initial guidance on the therapies. Given more than one billion individuals worldwide currently living with obesity, it is urging broader and more equitable availability to this class of drugs. Per forecasts, more than two billion could be obese by 2030 without intervention. "Our latest guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be addressed with thorough and continuous treatment," stated its chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. High costs, limited production capacity, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to broad access to the injections that can aid individuals in losing substantial body mass, explains the body. GLP-1 Therapy Shortage Even under the current best projected scenario, the manufacturing of these medications would only suffice for around 100 million people – less than 10% of the global need, as stated by the WHO. The advice urges nations and manufacturers to widen access, by measures including voluntary licensing. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple countries in 2026. The Way Weight-Loss Jabs Function GLP-1 drugs replicate a natural hormone to slow digestion, suppress the appetite and increase satiety so users reduce food intake. People commonly begin shedding pounds in the initial weeks of beginning the weekly injections. Studies indicates patients may put most of the weight back on after a year of stopping the treatment, because their normal appetite resume. Being carrying excess weight increases your likelihood for developing diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Obesity impacts people in countries worldwide and was responsible for millions of fatalities worldwide in 2024, according to the health agency.