(NEXSTAR) — The World Health Organization has issued new guidance on the use of popular GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound, to treat the “major global health challenge” of obesity.
A poll taken in 2024 estimated about 1 in 8 American adults had tried a GLP-1 drug, and the share of people with a prescription continues to grow.
The new WHO guidelines have two major “conditional recommendations” for using the medications.
The first piece says GLP-1s can be used to treat adults with obesity, except for women who are pregnant. This recommendation is “conditional,” the WHO said, because there is still limited data on the long-term impacts of the relatively new drugs. For example, more information is needed on what happens when people stop taking the medications.
Taking them indefinitely can also pose a significant cost burden.
GLP-1 drugs are typically administered by a weekly injection. They work by targeting hormones that affect appetite, making people feel fuller. Drugmakers Novo Nordisk (which manufactures Ozempic and Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound) have both announced some recent price cuts, but a monthly dose of the weight loss drugs still costs hundreds of dollars at best.
The second major piece of WHO guidance emphasizes that GLP-1s are not a cure-all, and must be considered as a tool alongside others. People with obesity may want to consider “intensive” changes to their diet and exercise alongside using the medication.
“Medicine alone will not solve the problem,” said Dr. Francesca Celletti, WHO senior advisor for obesity, when presenting the new guidance.
That guidance is in line with existing research, which indicates users need to ensure they’re getting all their nutrients even when the medications prompt them to cut back portion sizes. GLP-1s can also cause people to lose muscle mass, making exercise and strength training even more important.
The WHO adds that obesity is not just a problem that should be treated individually, but one that requires societal change.
“We must not neglect what we need to do in prevention. Neither must we fool ourselves, thinking that we can medicate ourselves out of the situation,” said Dr. Karen Sealey, the director of the Healthy Caribbean Coalition and the Inter-American Heart Foundation.