The World Health Organization on Monday recommended GLP-1 drugs for adult weight management, softening its previous resistance to pharmaceutical treatments for obesity.
The U.N. health agency’s endorsement of the appetite-suppressing drugs as part of a long-term weight-loss strategy marks a shift from its track record of urging only regular exercise and a healthy diet.
“While medication alone won’t solve this global health crisis, GLP-1 therapies can help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
Originally developed for type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 drugs have become a multibillion-dollar industry as patients also use them for weight loss. The United States leads global sales of the pricey medications.
The WHO defended its recommendation Monday in a Journal of the American Medical Association article that dubbed GLP-1 “a tipping point” in obesity care.
The article noted that regulatory agencies worldwide approved GLP-1 drugs, leading member nations to ask the WHO for guidance. It also said the WHO approved GLP-1s for type 2 diabetes in September, building on the global trend.
The Trump administration withdrew the U.S from WHO membership in January, citing “unfair funding practices” and Chinese political influence on the agency.
Last month, the White House announced a deal to lower the prices of Eli Lilly’s Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, the two most popular GLP-1 weight management drugs, to between $50 and $350 out of pocket. Both drugs have listed prices of well over $1,000.
Several concerns about the drugs’ side effects remain unresolved, including widely reported cases of muscle loss and some cases of stomach paralysis.
Some health experts reached for comment predicted the WHO guidelines would sway U.S. health policies, despite lacking any enforcement power.
“Different insurers use different guidelines and the guidelines are continually being updated as more evidence is found,” said Gerard Anderson, a health policy and management professor at Johns Hopkins University. “Some health insurers and some doctors will read the WHO guidelines to decide to cover the drugs or prescribe the drug for a patient.”
Others disagreed, pointing to the example of fen-phen, a popular weight loss drug pulled from the U.S. market in 1997 because it posed serious heart risks.
“My general sentiment is that the WHO shouldn’t be issuing guidelines for GLP-1s at all,” said Jennifer Galardi, a fitness and nutrition expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “I have read about enough people experiencing terrible side effects to have concerns, particularly long-term.”
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has approved GLP-1 for obesity treatment, leaving insurance and treatment decisions to an emerging patchwork of market-driven standards.
The WHO guidelines published Monday define obesity as a body mass index of at least 30. They align with the more formal GLP-1 care standards of England and other European countries.
“WHO’s timing reflects a need to protect patient safety, standardize dosing and monitoring, and help health systems prepare for long-term adoption,” said Dr. Rasoul Montazeri, founder of Healthon, a telehealth company that treats weight management.
Truveta Research in Bellevue, Washington, estimates that GLP-1 drugs accounted for 6.5 out of every 100 prescriptions nationwide in September.
The research center also found that GLP-1 weight management prescriptions for adolescents surged by 65% after the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed early treatment in 2023.
“Widely available guidance helps support consistent, responsible use of these therapies,” said Brianna Cartwright, Truveta’s principal research analyst.
