🔗 Share this article World Health Organization Raises Concern Over Critical Lack of Obesity Medications Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs. Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs. Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken. "The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency. Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, via strategies like patent sharing. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026. The Way Obesity Jabs Function The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories. People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections. Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their typical food cravings come back. To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies. Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.
Less than a tenth of patients eligible to benefit from weight-loss injections such as Wegovy are able to get them, caution the global health agency as it publishes its first guidance on the drugs. Considering more than one billion people worldwide currently living with obesity, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to this class of drugs. Per projections, in excess of 2,000,000,000 could be living with obesity by 2030 unless action is taken. "The latest guidelines affirms that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and continuous treatment," remarked WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Substantial prices, insufficient output, and logistical bottlenecks are major obstacles to universal access to the treatments that can help people shift substantial body mass, says the agency. Weight-Loss Drug Supply Crisis Even under the current best projected outlook, the production of such drugs could only cover approximately 100 million people – less than 10% of eligible patients, per the WHO. The recommendation urges countries and companies to increase availability, via strategies like patent sharing. Exclusive production rights on semaglutide – the primary ingredient of the drug Wegovy – is due to expire in multiple nations in 2026. The Way Obesity Jabs Function The injections imitate a biological compound to slow digestion, reduce hunger and increase the sense of being full so individuals consume fewer calories. People commonly see weight reduction in the initial weeks of commencing the weekly injections. Evidence suggests patients may regain a significant portion after a year of discontinuing the drug, as their typical food cravings come back. To be above a healthy weight raises your likelihood for developing health problems, like diabetes, heart disease, brain attack, and specific malignancies. Excess weight concerns individuals in countries worldwide and was linked to over three and a half million fatalities worldwide in 2024, as per the health agency.