WHO backs GLP-1 meds like Ozempic to treat obesity, but many Islanders can't access them

As the World Health Organization conditionally recommends the use of GLP-1 medications to treat obesity, a Halifax-based expert says the change likely won’t bring immediate improvements for Prince Edward Islanders.

The WHO on Monday issued its first guideline on using GLP-1 agonists as part of long-term treatment for the condition. The class of medications includes drugs sold under brand names like Ozempic, which were previously reserved for type 2 diabetes.

It’s big news for people like Kara Evers, the nurse practitioner and co-ordinator of the Halifax Obesity and Bariatric Surgery Clinic — a program that Islanders may be referred to for treatment off-Island.

“It's important in a number of different ways. It continues to shine a light on obesity as a chronic disease,” Evers told CBC’s Island Morning.

“This is going to become an epidemic. One in three Canadians are currently living with obesity, and in 10 years, that number is going to change to about 50 per cent, so this is really an opportunity for policymakers to take action.”

The WHO’s first conditional recommendation advises the use of GLP-1 drugs by adults, except pregnant women, for long-term obesity treatment, while the second suggests interventions like a healthy diet and physical activity to be offered alongside the medicines.

Evers says these medications have gone through long-term studies and have been proven safe and effective.

But she stressed that it’s crucial to ensure that “these drugs are prescribed by qualified prescribers and that there's appropriate follow-up and advice that goes along with these medications.”

While the WHO decision is encouraging, Evers said access remains a major hurdle for many Islanders, and for Canadians in general.

She said only about 20 per cent of Canadians can access GLP-1 medications through insurance.

Evers said the Pharmacare program in the majority of provinces, including in Atlantic Canada, does not cover the cost of GLP-1 drugs for obesity because it has not yet been recognized as a chronic disease.

“We are advocating within Canada for coverage of these. Obesity Canada is leading that charge,” she said.

“And hopefully the World Health Organization and their declaration is one more united voice, a global voice  to get these medications recognized, covered and more readily accessible to those who need them.”

In a statement to CBC News, P.E.I.'s Department of Health and Wellness said GLP-1 drugs are not covered for weight loss under the province's drug programs.