The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first guideline on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for treating obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease, WHO informed.

Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide, and it was associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024.

The new guideline reflects a major shift in the approach to this disease.

WHO now officially views obesity as a chronic, recurring condition that requires long-term monitoring and comprehensive treatment combining medication, nutrition, physical activity, and ongoing medical support.

WHO has formulated two conditional recommendations based on available evidence.

1) GLP-1 therapies may be used by adults, but excluding pregnant women, for the long-term treatment of obesity. While the efficacy of these therapies in treating obesity and improving metabolic and other outcomes was evident, the recommendation is conditional due to limited data on their long-term efficacy and safety, maintenance and discontinuation, their current costs, inadequate health-system preparedness, and potential equity implications.

2) Intensive behavioral interventions, including structured interventions involving healthy diet and physical activity, may be offered to adults living with obesity prescribed GLP-1 therapies. This is based on low-certainty evidence suggesting it may enhance treatment outcomes.

GLP-1 drugs, previously used to treat type 2 diabetes, were added in 2025 to WHO’s list of essential medicines for patients at high risk of diabetes.

Obesity significantly increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, and it worsens infection prediction. However, WHO stresses that the problem cannot be solved by medication alone. The recommendations outline a broader strategy based on three pillars:

. Creating healthier environments through robust population-level policies to promote health and prevent obesity;

. Protecting individuals at high risk of developing obesity and related comorbidities through targeted screening and structured early interventions; and

. Ensuring access to lifelong, person-centered care.

Also, WHO warns of the enormous economic burden: by 2030, global obesity-related costs may reach $3 trillion.

GLP-1 drugs remain expensive, and WHO cautions that without special mechanisms, their introduction could worsen existing inequalities in access to treatment. Even with increased production by 2030, fewer than 10% of people who need them will be able to receive the medications.

To expand this access, WHO suggests considering tools such as differential pricing, pooled procurement, and voluntary licensing.

The aforesaid recommendations were prepared after extensive data analysis and consultations with researchers and people living with obesity.

WHO notes that this document will be regularly updated as new scientific data emerge.

Next year, WHO plans to work with international partners to ensure that treatment is provided first to those who need it most.