WHO conditionally recommends GLP-1 drugs for obesity
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The World Health Organization on Monday released its first guidelines on the use of GLP-1 therapy for obesity, conditionally recommending them as part of long-term treatment for the condition, which affects more than a billion people globally, according to the agency.
The guidance comes as demand for a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists surges worldwide, and governments figure out how to incorporate the blockbuster treatments into public health systems.
The first conditional recommendation recommends the use of GLP-1 drugs by adults except pregnant women for the treatment of long-term obesity, while the second suggests interventions such as healthy diet and physical activity along with drugs.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the new guidance “recognizes that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care.”
In addition to weight loss and diabetes treatment, GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Vegovy have shown some early promise for treating drug and alcohol addiction. For The National, CBC’s Jennifer Yoon explains what the latest research shows, and what scientists are still trying to figure out.
He said that although medicine alone cannot solve this global health crisis, the GLP-1 drug could help millions of people overcome the condition and reduce the harm associated with it.
Reuters first reported that WHO could take this step earlier this year.
The latest move builds on the agency’s decision in September to add semaglutide and tirazepate, the active ingredients in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Monzaro, to its essential drugs list for the management of type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups.
The agency warned on Monday that the economic toll of obesity is rising rapidly, with the annual global cost set to reach US$3 trillion by 2030.
WHO also stressed that access remains a major barrier. Despite rapid expansion in production, by 2030 GLP-1 therapy is projected to reach less than 10 percent of people who could benefit.
The latest guidelines apply to adults with a body mass index of 30 or greater and the recommendations are for three agents – semaglutide, tirazepate and an older drug in the same class called liraglutide.
WHO said it would work with governments and stakeholders to help prioritize access to those at highest health risk in 2026.
