WHO Guideline on the Use of GLP-1 | 02 Dec 2025

Source:IE 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified obesity as a chronic disease needing lifelong, comprehensive care, and has released its first guidelines on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) weight-loss therapies to tackle the rapidly growing global obesity crisis. 

• GLP-1: These medicines can lead to 15–20% weight loss (similar to bariatric surgery) and also provide benefits for cardiovascular, kidney, liver, and sleep apnea conditions. 
• WHO GLP-1 Guidelines: Allows conditional long-term use of GLP-1 medicines for adults with obesity, except pregnant women, due to lack of evidence on long-term safety.  
  • WHO notes that these drugs need to be paired with intensive behavioural support, including healthy diet planning, regular physical activity, and structured lifestyle interventions, and stresses that medication must fit within a comprehensive, lifelong obesity-care plan.  
  • WHO also highlights the need for equitable access of GLP-1 therapies, warning that current global production will cover less than 10% of those who could benefit by 2030. 
• Obesity:  WHO defines obesity as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher in adults. In India, a person is considered obese if their BMI is 25 kg/m² or higher. Morbid obesity occurs when a person’s BMI is 35 or more. 
  • Global burden: Over 1 billion people live with obesity, causing 3.7 million deaths in 2024, with numbers projected to double by 2030. In India, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 (2019-21) shows 24% of women and 23% of men are overweight or obese.