JAMA
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: 8:45 A.M. ET MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2025
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Obesity affects more than 1 billion people worldwide and is recognized by the World Health Organization as a chronic, relapsing disease associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic burden.
On Monday, December 1, WHO will release a guideline on the use and indications of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies for the treatment of obesity in adults. Publishing in JAMA as a Special Communication, the guideline provides two conditional recommendations to inform clinical practice and health policy.
Recommendation #1: In adults living with obesity, long-term GLP-1 therapies may be used for weight management. This conditional recommendation is supported by moderate-certainty evidence from ongoing trials for their effectiveness in achieving clinically meaningful weight loss and broad metabolic benefits, together with cost, health system preparedness, and potential equity implications.
Recommendation #2: Those prescribed GLP-1 therapies benefit from structured behavioral therapy, including goal setting for physical activity and diet, energy intake restriction, regular counseling sessions, and ongoing assessment of progress. This conditional recommendation is supported by low-certainty evidence of intensive behavioral therapy enhancing the efficacy of GLP-1 therapies across tirzepatide, semaglutide, and liraglutide.
In addition to these recommendations, the guideline highlights implementation challenges for health systems and considerations for policymakers.
The WHO guideline is coauthored by Francesca Celletti, MD, PhD, Jeremy Farrar, MD, PhD, and Luz De Regil, PhD. Please contact Jin Ni at jinn@who.int, Paul David Garwood at garwoodp@who.int, or mediainquiries@who.int for media interviews.
The guideline will publish and the media embargo will lift at 8:45 AM ET (2:45 PM CET in Geneva) Monday, December 1.
Press conference
From 2:30-3:30 PM CET (8:30-9:30 AM ET) on Monday, December 1, the WHO will host a press conference via Zoom.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, will open the press conference with brief remarks before introducing ministers of health from countries who participated in the creation of the guideline. A Q&A for journalists will follow.
Media can join the press conference using the Zoom details below.
Link: https://who.zoom.us/j/94560176083 Password: 12WHO&vpc1
Phone:
International numbers available: https://who.zoom.us/u/aceOXSswaf
Webinar ID: 945 6017 6083
Numeric passcode for phone: 4179408447
Webinar
At 4 PM CET (10 AM ET) on Monday, December 1, JAMA and JAMA Network Editor in Chief Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, PhD, MD, MAS, will participate in a WHO webinar as co-chair and panelist. The webinar is titled “From Evidence to Action: WHO Guideline on the use of GLP-1- Therapies for the Treatment of Obesity in Adults.”
Watch the live webinar on Zoom: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BRMEpYIoQXODxoIWDGCMzA.
About JAMA
JAMA is a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Medical Association. As a leading source of clinical and public health information, JAMA is committed to advancing global health through publication of rigorous research, guidelines, and policy statements.
Doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.24288
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For more information, contact JAMA Network Media Relations at 312-464-JAMA (5262) or email media relations.
