{"id":881224,"date":"2025-12-28T01:12:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T07:12:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/28\/who-warning-over-shortage-of-obesity-jabs\/"},"modified":"2025-12-28T01:12:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T07:12:35","slug":"who-warning-over-shortage-of-obesity-jabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/28\/who-warning-over-shortage-of-obesity-jabs\/","title":{"rendered":"WHO warning over shortage of obesity jabs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the\u00a0World Health Organization<\/a>\u00a0as it releases its first guidance on the drugs.<\/p>\n

With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication.<\/p>\n

According to projections, more than two billion will be obese by 2030 unless action is taken.<\/p>\n

High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says WHO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It has already added them to its\u00a0\u201cessential\u201d medicines list<\/a>\u00a0(for overweight patients with diabetes) that countries are advised to provide.<\/p>\n

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: \u201cOur new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile medication alone won\u2019t solve this global health crisis, GLP-1 therapies can help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHO says these drugs, sometime called skinny jabs, represent a new chapter in the gradual conceptual shift in how society approaches obesity, from a \u201clifestyle condition\u201d to a complex, preventable, and treatable chronic disease.<\/p>\n

It says the drugs can be taken long-term \u2013 for six months or more \u2013 but must be prescribed along with advice on diet and exercise, so that people can keep the weight off.<\/p>\n

Too few people around the world can access them, says WHO. \u201cOur greatest concern is equitable access,\u201d said Tedros.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Skinny jab shortage<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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Even under the current best projected scenario, the production of GLP-1 therapies could only cover around 100 million people \u2013 less than 10% of those who need them, according to the WHO.<\/p>\n

The guideline calls on countries and companies to expand access, through strategies such as voluntary licensing \u2013 where a pharmaceutical company grants permission for others to make affordable non-brand versions of its patented drug.<\/p>\n

A patent on semaglutide \u2013 the core ingredient of Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy \u2013 is due to expire in several countries in 2026, meaning other drug-makers will soon be free to produce and sell cheap versions in places like India, Canada, China, Brazil and Turkey.<\/p>\n

WHO says countries must also create healthier environments to promote good health and prevent obesity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How obesity jabs work<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
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GLP-1 drugs mimick a natural hormone to slow digestion, curb appetite and increase feelings of fullness so people eat less.<\/p>\n

In the UK, the injections are prescription only medicines, which means they can only be prescribed by a healthcare professional for a person who clinically needs it.<\/p>\n

Some are available on the NHS, but more are sold privately.<\/p>\n

There is a black market and to be safe people should avoid buying from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media.<\/p>\n

People typically start to lose weight within a few weeks of starting on the weekly injections.<\/p>\n

Research suggests people may\u00a0put most of the weight back on<\/a>\u00a0within a year of stopping the medication though, as their normal food cravings return.<\/p>\n

Being overweight or obese increases your risk for developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.<\/p>\n

Obesity affects people in every country and was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024, according to the WHO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fewer than one in 10 people who could benefit from obesity jabs like Wegovy are able to get them, warns the\u00a0World Health Organization\u00a0as it releases its first guidance on the drugs. With more than one billion people worldwide now obese, it is calling for more widespread and fairer access to GLP-1 medication. According to projections<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":881225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22332,767],"tags":[9969,5411],"class_list":{"0":"post-881224","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-shortage","8":"category-warning","9":"tag-shortage","10":"tag-warning"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881224"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881224\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/881225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}