The new guidelines are yet another sign that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are likely to continue soaring in popularity as a weight loss treatment
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The influential European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) has issued new guidelines calling for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly $LLY’s Zepbound, both GLP-1 weight loss drugs, to be the first choice in almost all cases for obesity treatment.
The guidelines, published in the new issue of Nature Medicine, stated that, although there are multiple GLP-1 drugs and other obesity treatments on the market, Wegovy and Zepbound "are so effective that they should be the first choice in almost all cases." EASO is a federation of professional associations from 39 European countries, and its guidelines carry tremendous clout.
The new European guidelines are yet another sign that the GLP-1 drugs are likely to continue soaring in popularity as a weight-loss treatment. In September, the World Health Organization added GLP-1 drugs to its Essential Medicines List, which should improve access to the treatments in poorer countries. And in June, the American College of Cardiology changed its guidelines to recommend GLP-1s as the first line of treatment for obesity, rather than diet and exercise.
As a result, the class of drugs, approved only four years ago by the Food & Drug Administration for weight loss, are expected to reach worldwide sales of $150 billion in 2035.
The authors of the Nature Medicine article acknowledged that the GLP-1 drugs are expensive and have limited insurance coverage but nevertheless can lead to cost savings in direct medical expenses per patient. “The cost of not treating obesity and adipose tissue dysfunction at early stage — thus enabling the progression to complications and end-organ damage — should be weighed equally in health policy and clinical decision-making,” they wrote.
The EASO also noted that emerging data on the GLP-1 drugs for other indications, such as chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative disorders, certain cancers, and mental health conditions, may further strengthen the case for making this class of drugs the best choice for weight-loss therapy. It plans to update the guideline regularly.
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