WHO Issues First Guidance On Obesity Drugs — GLP-1 Drugs Get the Green Light

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first-ever recommendation endorsing GLP-1 medications as part of a long term strategy to manage obesity in adults. Earlier, in the guidance to deal with obesity, the main focus was given to diet and lifestyle changes. Thus, this is a big shift from how the UN agency has traditionally approached obesity treatment. Until now, WHO guidelines only focused on lifestyle changes including physical activity and diet. The new recommendation acknowledges that medication can play a supportive role when combined with counseling on healthy eating and regular exercise.Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the guideline describes long-term use as continuous treatment for at least six months. In its note, WHO called obesity a “c