The World Health Organization’s(WHO) nutrition chief told Reuters that new highly effective weight loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy are not a “silver bullet” for addressing the rapid rise in global obesity rates, as the agency conducts its first review of obesity management guidelines in more than 20 years.
According to Francesco Branca, WHO director of nutrition and food safety, the global health organization is first modifying guidelines for treating obese children and adolescents before updating recommendations for adults.
The World Health Organization last issued global guidelines on the subject in 2000, which are used as a reference for nations that lack the capacity to develop their own plans.
Branca told Reuters, the WHO has commissioned the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy, to evaluate the evidence for the use of all drugs for children and adolescents, ranging from older options like GSK’s Xenical to newer, more effective treatments like Wegovy and Eli Lilly and Co’s Mounjaro.
“The kind of communication that has been done around these drugs – ‘We’ve found a solution’ – that’s wrong,” said Branca. Drugs for obesity are important but must be “part of a comprehensive approach,” he said.
“This is not a silver bullet.”
Other therapies, such as food and exercise, remain important, according to Branca, in helping to manage obesity. According to the most recent WHO data, the percentage of children and adolescents aged five to 19 who are obese or overweight has climbed to slightly over 18% in 2016 from 4% in 1975, representing more than 340 million individuals.
Wegovy, other weight loss drugs ‘no silver bullet’
A Reuters request for comment was not immediately responded to by Novo Nordisk or Eli Lilly.
Wegovy and Mounjaro were originally designed to assist regulate blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. They have lately been demonstrated to help people lose approximately 15% of their body weight, grabbing the attention of patients, investors, and even celebrities.
They are part of a class of medications known as GLP-1 agonists, and they function by influencing hunger signals to the brain and reducing the rate at which a person’s stomach empties, making them feel fuller for longer.
According to studies, people will need to take medicines for the rest of their lives to lose weight.
Wegovy is approved for weight loss in the United States and Europe, and Mounjaro is likely to be approved in the United States later this year. With up to ten different treatments on the market, the massive demand for the drugs is anticipated to be worth $100 billion in yearly sales within a decade.
US medical groups are also reviewing their obesity treatment guidelines to determine the best use of Wegovy and similar drugs, with some specialists advocating broad use while others recommend prioritizing them for high-risk patients with health conditions exacerbated by excess weight, such as diabetes or heart disease.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has endorsed administering such medications in children aged 12 and up who are obese, despite the fact that the long-term effects have yet to be researched.
The revised guidelines will be based on a more robust methodology and will include up-to-date science
According to the WHO, the revised guidelines will be based on a more robust methodology than prior revisions and will include up-to-date science. By the end of this year, the first draft of the new management guidelines for children and adolescents is expected.
Branca stated that the researchers at Mario Negri, as well as other universities collaborating on the guidelines, had been thoroughly screened to eliminate potential conflicts of interest.
Novo Nordisk was suspended from the organization of the British Pharmaceutical Industry earlier this year for alleged marketing methods such as sponsoring health professionals and offering training that the organization claimed was meant to promote their medicine.
“We really screen the potential conflicts of interest,” said Branca.
He described obesity as a “rising epidemic”.
“There are multiple reasons why we really have to take much more serious and bolder action,” he said.