INSIGHT. Obesity is one of the fastest-growing public health challenges of our time. More than a billion people are estimated to be living with the disease globally today, a number that is expected to keep rising. The consequences are significant for individuals, healthcare systems and society as a whole. At the same time, the view of obesity has shifted. The condition is increasingly regarded as a chronic medical condition requiring long-term treatment and follow-up, rather than simply a lifestyle-related problem.
GLP-1 has redefined the treatment landscape
GLP-1 drugs have played a central role in this shift. Drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro (semaglutide and tirzepatide) have shown that significant and sustained weight loss is possible for a broader patient group. At the same time, they have helped shift the focus from weight loss alone to broader health outcomes, such as reduced risk of related diseases and improved quality of life. This is an important step forward, but it represents only part of a wider and growing treatment landscape.
Towards more personalised obesity care
Lifestyle changes, drug treatment, medical technology solutions and surgery fulfil different functions for different patient groups. Recent advances in drug development have created new opportunities for patients with obesity, with modern treatments able to provide long-term weight loss of around 10–15 per cent. For many patients, this means significant health benefits, but for people with severe or morbid obesity the effect may be insufficient to achieve the desired treatment outcome. Surgery, which on average leads to weight loss of around 30 per cent, is therefore expected to continue to play an important role.
An increasing number of experts now see drugs and surgery as complementary rather than competing treatment forms. The future of obesity care is likely to be characterised by a more personalised strategy, where the right combination of interventions is used for the right patient at the right time.
When the focus moves beyond weight loss
As more patients are treated over longer periods, increasing attention is being directed towards what happens after weight loss has been achieved. Issues related to nutrition, muscle mass, bone health and long-term follow-up are now playing a more prominent role in both research and clinical practice. The focus is not only on reducing body weight, but also on maintaining health, function and quality of life over time. This creates new opportunities for innovation in areas that have historically received limited attention within obesity care.
How well healthcare systems succeed in supporting patients through the entire treatment journey may prove to be one of the most important questions within the obesity field in the coming years.
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