Boehringer Ingelheim and WHO Foundation launch global collaboration to close the gap in obesity and metabolic health

Ingelheim, Germany – Boehringer Ingelheim and the WHO Foundation today announced a three-year collaboration to accelerate progress on obesity and its related metabolic conditions in resource-limited settings.

Obesity is one of the most pressing global health challenges. In 2022, more than 2.5 billion adults and over 390 million children and adolescents worldwide were overweight, with 1 in 8 people worldwide living with obesity, a prevalence that has more than doubled in adults since 1990.

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The collaboration, supported by a USD 5 million contribution from Boehringer Ingelheim to the WHO Foundation will aim to help strengthen health system preparedness and readiness to monitor and provide care for obesity and related metabolic health conditions, and enable approaches to bring together health and non-health sectors with the meaningful engagement of people living with NCDs in policy discussions for patient-centered care.

“The scale and complexity of the obesity and metabolic health challenge calls for an integrated approach that will strengthen the foundations of care,” said Anil Soni, Chief Executive Officer of the WHO Foundation. “Through this collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, we will enable countries to translate evidence and global guidance into integrated services that respond to people’s needs. It can also generate knowledge and practical models that support progress far beyond the initial participating countries.”

As part of the collaboration, the WHO Foundation will support WHO’s efforts to implement its Acceleration Plan to Stop Obesity (2022–2030). Adopted by WHO Member States in 2022, the plan supports countries in moving from commitment to implementation through evidence-based interventions, country ownership and systemic change.

“Obesity and related metabolic diseases cannot be addressed effectively in isolation. They require health systems that recognize their shared drivers and provide coordinated, long-term care. Getting this right represents an opportunity for governments, health systems and society,” said Shashank Deshpande, Member of the Board of Managing Directors with responsibility for Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim. “Through this timely collaboration in metabolic health for Boehringer Ingelheim and the WHO Foundation, we can help turn global ambition into practical, sustainable change for people and health systems.”

The collaboration builds on the relationship between Boehringer Ingelheim and the WHO Foundation in strengthening systems for suicide prevention in the Americas. By connecting obesity care with the prevention and management of related diseases, the new collaboration seeks to promote a more comprehensive approach to obesity and related metabolic health. Its long-term ambition is to help make integrated, equitable chronic care an enduring part of resilient primary healthcare systems.