WHO launches landmark global guidelines on GLP-1 therapies for obesity care
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first living guideline on the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists and GLP-1/GIP dual agonists for the management of obesity - a milestone moment in global efforts to improve treatment options for the close to one billion adults living with obesity worldwide.
World Obesity welcomes this guideline as a crucial step toward establishing a shared, evidence-based global standard of care for obesity treatment. As the guideline will be updated as evidence evolves, it provides an important foundation upon which countries can build equitable, person-centred obesity care programmes.
"These guidelines are comprehensive in that they will inform policy from as well as dialogue, between civil society and governments. I live with obesity and 2 other NCDs. We must include obesity as a NCD and a risk factor. This is urgent for us." Dr Karen Sealey
Centred on lived experience
World Obesity commends WHO for meaningfully involving people living with obesity in the development of the guideline - a practice that must become the norm in obesity policy and clinical guidance.
Lived experience is essential to ensuring guidelines are person-centred, relevant, and responsive to the real-world barriers people face when seeking care.
GLP-1 therapies must be part of comprehensive, equitable care
Medicines alone are not enough. World Obesity strongly supports WHO’s message that pharmacological therapy should be implemented only as part of a comprehensive chronic care model that recognises obesity as a complex, lifelong disease.
Effective obesity care requires:
- Integrated prevention, monitoring, management, and treatment across the life course
- Support for diet, physical activity, and behaviour change, including resistance training to help mitigate loss of lean muscle mass
- Professional guidance and adequate health system infrastructure to ensure safe and appropriate use
- Integration with primary health care and existing NCD services, including maternal health and communicable disease programmes such as HIV care
Equity must guide implementation
The promise of new obesity medicines will only be realised if access is equitable. Today, most people who could benefit from GLP-1 therapies are unable to access them - especially across low- and middle-income countries.
World Obesity calls for:
- Inclusion of GLP-1 therapies in national essential medicines lists and universal health coverage (UHC) benefit packages
- Public-sector availability of treatment, not just access via private markets
- Targeted investment to avoid widening health inequities, particularly for disadvantaged communities
- Affordable pricing strategies and innovation from manufacturers to expand global access
Bridging critical gaps in evidence
The introduction of GLP-1 therapies into global health systems must be accompanied by continued research, particularly in areas where evidence is currently thin.
World Obesity underscores the need for:
- More research within LMIC health systems, where capacity for obesity care is limited
- Longitudinal studies on medium- and long-term outcomes
- Better understanding of lived experience with GLP-1 therapy - including benefits, challenges, and impacts on stigma and quality of life
This work aligns closely with World Obesity’s MAPPS II study, which is mapping disparities in global obesity care and identifying system-level levers to strengthen access.
MAPPS II
A major step forward - with much more to do
The launch of WHO’s living guideline represents significant progress: a recognition that obesity is a serious chronic disease requiring comprehensive health system action and an expansion of safe, effective treatment options.
"This is a powerful moment. Just as medications were vital in turning the tide in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, so can GLP-1s help turn the tide on obesity and overcome the pervasive bias and stigma." Johanna Ralston CEO, World Obesity Federation
But to translate guidance into impact, countries must now invest in integrated care, build trained health workforces, strengthen regulatory and procurement systems, and ensure equitable access for all who need treatment.
World Obesity stands ready to support governments, clinicians, and civil society partners in implementing these recommendations and advancing obesity care as a core element of the global NCD response and universal health coverage.
Obesity care is not optional - it is essential.
The WHO guideline brings us one step closer to fair, evidence-based treatment for all.
View the WHO GLP-1 guidelines
The new guidance can be found on the World Health Organization website.
VIEW THE GUIDELINES