WHOโข Endorses GLP-1 Therapies for โคObesity โTreatment,Calls for Global Access
The World Health Organization (WHO) has,forโ the โขfirst time,issued guidelines โrecommending the โexpanded use of glucagon-like peptide-1โ (GLP-1) therapies – a โฃclass of drugs โcurrently used to treatโข diabetes and obesity – to combat the โฃgrowing global obesity epidemic,which affects approximately one billion people.
The newly released guidance advocates for equitable and affordable access โคto thes medications, including semaglutide,โ liraglutide, โคand dulaglutide, and โขproposes adding โthemโ to the WHO’s model โฃList of โEssential โขMedicines,โฃ which currently comprises 532 therapies considered vital for aโ functioning healthcare system. This inclusion is intended to โinform public healthโ policies and improveโ access worldwide.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the guidelines โrecognize obesity asโ a chronic disease requiring complete, lifelongโ management. While acknowledging that medication alone won’t solve the crisis, he stated that GLP-1 therapiesโ “can help millions of people overcome obesity and reduce its adverse effects.”
The WHO’s strategy forโ tackling obesity is built on three key pillars: creating supportiveโ environments throughโ policy changes, prioritizing early detection andโ intervention for at-risk individuals, and providing person-centered, ongoing care for those living wiht the โcondition.
GLP-1 therapies work by improving bloodโฃ glucose control, suppressing appetite, โand promoting weight loss. Obesity is a critically important global health โthreat,contributing โคto an estimatedโข 3.7 million deaths in 2024 alone. Without intervention, global obesity rates are projected to doubleโ by 2030.
The WHO’sโฃ recommendation for long-term GLP-1 therapyโ (over six โฃmonths) in adults with obesity is based onโ evidence assessed with “moderate certainty,” โขexcluding pregnant women. However,โ the recommendation is conditional due to gaps in long-term โคdata regarding usage, maintenance, and discontinuation, and also โฃconcerns about current costs, healthcare systemโ preparedness, and potential inequities inโ access.
the issue โof access and appropriate use is already being โobserved in some countries. In portugal, such as, GLP-1 therapies are currently only โreimbursedโ for diabetes patients, โขand this class of drugs represented the largest financial burden on the national health service (354.6 million euros) between January and September of theโข current year. The off-label use of โthese medications for weight loss has contributed to shortages for โdiabetic patients, prompting increased audits and inspections by the national regulatoryโข authority, Infarmed.