The agency urges countries to treat the condition as a disease
The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to recommend the use of weight-loss drugs for obesity treatments among adults, according to Reuters.
In its draft guidelines, which were published online and are still open for consultation, the organization stated that GLP-1 drugs, which was first developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, were part of the solution in treating obesity among patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, together with proper counselling on lifestyle and behavioural changes.
The guidelines also underlined WHO’s statement that countries should take obesity more seriously and treat it as a chronic disease. The organization pointed out that the response to the condition was mostly framed as a lifestyle issue, which it deemed to be outdated. It further defined obesity as a chronic, progressive, and relapsing disease.
WHO also cited that 1 billion people all over the world were affected by this condition, which has also contributed to millions of deaths that could have been prevented. The recommendation for the drugs in obesity treatments served as a “critical step” in the development of a global standard for providing proper care.
While the consultation for the draft guidelines will continue until Sept. 27, the organization said that it will be drafting a separate document for treating obesity among children and adolescents. Notably, the GLP-1 drugs were also recommended for people that have a BMI of 27 to 30 and at a weight-related medical condition in some high-income countries like the US.
According to the 2025 Canadian clinical practice guideline update on adult obesity management, obesity drugs are effective following long-term use and health behaviour changes. A study by Statista found that Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest prevalence of adult obesity in Canada in 2024.
