WHO issues warning on weight loss drugs

Balanced diet and exercise remain key to losing weight, health body says

New weight loss drugs will not be a “silver bullet” in tackling obesity, the World Health Organisation has warned.

Francesco Branca, the WHO director of food and nutrition safety, said weight loss drugs must be used alongside a healthy diet and exercise.

Ms Branca’s comments come as the health body conducts its first review of obesity management guidelines in two decades.

Semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy by drugmaker Novo Nordisk, is an appetite suppressant drug that has been approved by the UK medicines regulator and described by some as a “game changer” in helping people to shed weight.

The drug is administered by injection or pen, similar to that used by diabetics, on a weekly basis.

A study found that people who were given the drug saw their weight drop by 12 per cent on average after 68 weeks.

But Ms Branco said that while weight loss drugs can play an important role in tackling obesity, they must be part of a “comprehensive approach”.

“The kind of communication that has been done around these drugs – ‘we’ve found a solution’ – that’s wrong,” she said.

“Drugs for obesity are important but must be part of a comprehensive approach,” she added. “This is not a silver bullet.”

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which makes a similar weight loss product named Mounjaro, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wegovy is to be made available through the NHS in England for certain people living with obesity.

Thousands are expected to be offered the appetite suppressant on prescription after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence greenlit it for NHS use.

In some cases, people with a BMI of 30 and over may be able to access the drug, which is given via a pen injector.

A study found that people who were given the drug saw their weight drop by 12 per cent on average after 68 weeks (REUTERS/Jim Vondruska/Illustration)

People will only be given Wegovy on prescription as part of a specialist weight management service, involving input from several professionals and for a maximum of two years.

Some experts described the decision as a “pivotal moment” for the treatment of people living with obesity but others warned that the drug is not a “quick fix”.

Earlier this month officials announced that the rollout of the drug in England was being delayed amid concerns that demand would outstrip supply.

Ms Branco said the WHO is first revising guidelines for treating children and adolescents with obesity, and will then update recommendations for adults, said Francesco Branca, WHO director of nutrition and food safety.

It last issued global guidelines on the topic in 2000, which are used as a blueprint for countries without the resources to draft their own plans.

As part of the work, the WHO has commissioned the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, in Milan, Italy, to assess the evidence for the use of all drugs for children and adolescents – from older options like GSK’s Xenical to newer, more effective treatments like Wegovy and Mounjaro.

The latest WHO data shows that the percentage of children and adolescents aged five to 19 who are obese or overweight has risen to just over 18 per cent in 2016 from four per cent in 1975, and this now represents more than 340 million people.