Brussels, 17th April, 2026 – A new position paper, “The case for primary prevention of obesity in the era of GLP-1 therapies”, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe calls for renewed and sustained investment in obesity prevention, warning that recent advances in pharmacological treatments must not divert attention from the root causes of the epidemic.
Endorsed by a pan-European team of over 700 researchers within the OBEClust initiative, the paper argues that while GLP-1 receptor agonists (such as Wegovy and Ozempic) represent a major breakthrough in obesity treatment, they cannot address the structural drivers underpinning rising obesity rates.
Obesity affects over one billion people globally and continues to increase across Europe. This rise is driven by a range of factors, including unhealthy food environments, urban design that discourages physical activity, socioeconomic inequalities, and broader commercial determinants of health.
“Pharmacological treatments can improve health outcomes for individuals, but they have considerable disadvantages and do not remove the root causes of obesity,” said Dr. Jeroen Lakerveld from Amsterdam UMC, one of the paper’s lead authors. “Without structural change, the inflow of new patients will remain high. Prevention is essential for achieving sustainable and equitable health improvements.”
Prevention and treatment must go hand in hand
The paper outlines key policy priorities, including strengthening food system regulation, promoting active environments, addressing socioeconomic inequalities, and integrating prevention and treatment strategies.
Prevention and treatment are complementary. However, relying heavily on long-term pharmacotherapy without addressing underlying causes carries economic risks, including escalating costs for health systems.
The authors conclude that the emergence of new therapies should reinforce—not replace—the case for prevention.
Key messages
- The arrival of GLP-1 receptor agonists marks a major advance in obesity management but does not address the underlying causes, so the need for strong primary prevention remains urgent.
- Prevention and treatment are complementary, but not equal priorities: preventive action requires greater and more sustained investment to achieve population-wide and long-term benefits.
- Both prevention and treatment are needed and investment in one does not mean disinvestment in the other.
- Pharmacological treatment addresses individual outcomes but leaves the societal, commercial, and environmental drivers of obesity untouched.
- Strengthening policies and environments that make healthy choices easy remains essential for sustainable, equitable, and economically viable control of obesity in Europe and worldwide.