The Global Health Body Sounds Concern Over Critical Scarcity of Weight-Loss Jabs

Less than a tenth of individuals that would benefit from weight-loss injections including Wegovy have access to them, caution the global health agency as it issues its first recommendations on the medications.

Considering over a billion people worldwide currently obese, it is urging more widespread and fairer availability to these injectable treatments.

According to projections, over two billion are projected to be obese by 2030 if no action is taken.

"The new guidance acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition that can be managed with holistic and ongoing treatment," stated WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

High costs, constrained manufacturing, and distribution challenges are significant barriers to widespread access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says the agency.

Weight-Loss Drug Scarcity

Even in the current best projected outlook, the production of these medications might only reach about 100 million people – less than 10% of those who need them, as stated by the health organization.

The advice calls on nations and manufacturers to widen availability, via measures like voluntary licensing.

The intellectual property rights on semaglutide – the core component of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy – is set to lapse in several nations in 2026.

How Obesity Jabs Function

These medications imitate a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase the sense of being full so individuals eat less.

Individuals commonly begin shedding pounds within a few weeks of beginning the once-weekly jabs.

Research points to users may regain a significant portion within a year of stopping the medication, because their normal food cravings come back.

Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, brain attack, and certain malignancies.

Obesity affects people in countries worldwide and was associated with millions of deaths worldwide in 2024, as per the WHO.