Andreea Ciudin

In the year 2023, Science magazine has chosen the development and discovery that GLP-1 medications, agonists of the glucagon-like peptide-1, can mitigate health issues associated with obesity as the most important scientific breakthrough. Similarly, Nature magazine has selected biochemist Svetlana Mojsov, a key figure in the discovery of GLP-1, as one of the top ten scientists of the year. 

Obesity is a growing public health problem for the entire planet. According to the 2023 Obesity Atlas published this week by the World Obesity Federation, 51% of the world's population will be overweight or obese (more than 4 billion people) by 2035, up from 38% today. At a briefing organised by SMC Spain ahead of World Obesity Day on 4 March, two experts discussed the role that drugs can play in combating a disease whose roots are social and linked to inequality.