The World Health Organization on Monday recommended GLP-1 drugs as a tool to manage obesity in adults, marking a shift in the way the U.N. agency has historically framed obesity treatment.
The WHO said that GLP-1 drugs can be part of a long-term treatment strategy that combines medication with counseling on healthy diets and physical activity. Previous WHO recommendations focused on the latter.
WHO officials published the guidelines Monday in the medical journal JAMA, defining long-term use as continuous treatment for six months or more.
“GLP-1 therapies mark more than a scientific breakthrough,” the officials wrote. “They represent a new chapter in the gradual conceptual shift in how society approaches obesity — from a ‘lifestyle condition’ to a complex, preventable, and treatable chronic disease.”
However, the guidelines also state that “medication alone cannot solve the global obesity burden.” Genetics and environmental factors, such as rising stress levels or increased exposure to processed foods, likely contribute as well.
The class of medications being recommended, known formally as GLP-1 agonists, can suppress a person’s appetite by mimicking a hormone that signals to the brain when a person is full.
The drugs exploded in popularity over the last few years as mounting evidence suggested they could help with weight loss and lower the risk of obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure, heart attacks or strokes. In the U.S., 1 in 8 adults report that they’re currently taking a a GLP-1 drug for weight loss or another condition like diabetes, according to KFF, a nonprofit health think tank.
The WHO in September added GLP-1 drugs as a diabetes treatment to its list of essential medicines, but stopped short of adding them for obesity alone.
The organization’s new guidelines — crafted by a committee of obesity, pharmacology and public health experts — came at the request of WHO member states, the officials said. They follow the approval of GLP-1 drugs by several regulatory authorities, including the Food and Drug Administration.
Many countries factor WHO guidelines into their health policies.
The group’s recommendation is conditional, meaning the benefits likely outweigh the downsides but more evidence is needed. In the JAMA paper, WHO officials highlighted the need for more long-term data on the drugs’ safety and efficacy, as well as lower prices to expand access.
The most popular weight loss drugs in the U.S. — Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy — carry list prices above $1,000 per month. However, the Trump administration recently announced a deal with pharmaceutical companies that could lower the cost for people who pay out of pocket or have Medicare or Medicaid.