Lifestyle support needed with weight-loss drugs

Sir Jim Mann, EDOR Co-Director and Professor of Medicine and Human Nutrition, has authored a commentary highlighting essential co-requirements for the effective use of weight-loss drugs.

The Newsroom article outlines the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on the use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, traded under names like Wegovy or Ozempic.

The WHO guidelines recommend that GLP-1 receptor agonists may be used as long-term treatment for obesity, however an essential co-requirement is the provision of context-appropriate counselling to achieve the healthy lifestyle changes needed to maintain weight loss. Otherwise, when patients stop using these medications regain of weight is highly likely.

In addition, monitoring of patients to ensure that they have an appropriate intake of essential nutrients is needed to avoid consequences of undernutrition such as muscle loss.

In New Zealand, GLP-1 receptor agonists are currently only funded for people with type 2 diabetes who are at high risk of developing complications. Those who wish to purchase these medications themselves will be paying around $500 a month, which is beyond the means of many people who would benefit from them.

With one third of New Zealanders living with obesity, the WHO report suggests that nearly 1.5 million people in this country could achieve health benefits from using GLP-1 receptor agonists. However the cost of funding these drugs for such a large proportion of the population is prohibitive for a health system under financial pressure.

Professor Mann offers evidence-based suggestions for how to prioritise the funding of these new and effective weight-loss medications, and calls for steps to provide the co-requirements that will make this health investment effective in the long-term.

Access the Newsroom article

Weight loss drugs aren’t the be-all and end-all, Newsroom, 14 December, 2025; also featured on TVNZ's Breakfast show on 15 December, 2025.