GLP-1 weight-loss medicines such as Mounjaro and Wegovy have transformed obesity treatment in the UAE, but they should be combined with lasting lifestyle changes, a leading UAE health adviser has said.
Experts at the three-day Dubai International Pharma and Technologies conference described the transformative impact of GLP-1 drugs in the UAE, which suppress hunger hormones.
Dr Mohammad Fityan, group chief medical officer at Burjeel Holdings, told the conference on Wednesday that medication should never be prescribed as a stand-alone fix. “The medicine will give you 50 to 60 per cent of the solution; the other 40 to 50 per cent is on the patient,” he said.
GLP-1 medicines work by mimicking hormones that regulate appetite and can help people feel fuller for longer.
Why lifestyle changes matter
Dr Fityan said patients who change their lifestyle alongside taking the medicine are more likely to lose weight and maintain it.
“Lifestyle change is a must and I tell patients this from the beginning. There's no point in me prescribing this medication because it does not work alone,” Dr Fityan said. “If they change their lifestyle, they will lose weight and maintain that weight loss. Otherwise, this will not work.”
Dr Fityan said weight-loss medication, combined with healthier habits, could help reduce the risk of hundreds of obesity-related conditions and potentially reverse Type 2 diabetes.
He said some insurers were linking reimbursement for obesity treatment to patients meeting physical activity targets.
“The reimbursement programme calculates the steps of the patients directly connected to their electronic medical record system in my clinic, and they will not be reimbursed unless they walk 10,000 steps per day,” he said.
“If insurers see that the steps or physical activity is not met, they will not get their reimbursement.”
Lifestyle changes should go beyond diet and exercise, Dr Fityan said, and should also include sleep and work patterns.
“I always like the lifestyle, not just diet or exercise, but also when they go to sleep, for how many hours and also what shifts they work,” he said.
“I know that pharmacotherapy will offer a solution for part of the problem, but the biggest part really depends on the patient.”
UAE obesity rates
At the conference, experts identified obesity as a major public health challenge of this era, with the global prevalence projected to hit 18 per cent by 2031.
The UAE has historically recorded rates above the global average, increasing the risk of chronic conditions that can be costly to treat over the long term.
A recent report by consultants Whiteshield and US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, which manufactures Mounjaro, said that taking 1.2 million people in the UAE out of obesity could extend their healthy lifespan by 6.8 years.
Under an accelerated weight-loss programme in the UAE, obesity figures of around 32 per cent would be expected to fall closer to the global average of 18 per cent, the analysis said.
Such a move also has the potential to free up $1.5 billion in health expenditure for treating chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
