The latest guidelines on the pharmacological treatment of obesity from the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO), co-authored by a representative from Slovakia, were recently published in one of the world’s most prestigious journals in the field of translational medicine, Nature Medicine. Associate Professor Ľubomíra Fábryová, President of the Slovak Obesity Association (SOA), First Vice President of EASO from Slovakia, and an expert in diabetology at the Biomedical Research Center of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAS) contributed to the article’s conclusions.
“Obesity is a chronic disease that requires long-term care. According to current estimates, nearly three million Slovaks will be overweight or obese by 2030, so addressing this problem is very urgent. Obesity management must be comprehensive, timely, long-term, and sustainable,” says Ľubomíra Fábryová.
The article in Nature Medicine is an update to the 2025 EASO guidelines. It was the first set of recommendations that focused not only on weight reduction but also on the impact of pharmacological treatment on mechanical and metabolic complications associated with obesity. The recommendation evaluates the most current available data and evidence-based facts. The May 2026 update assesses new evidence and studies on the effects of weight-loss medications in liver diseases.
The May 2026 update reviews new evidence and studies on the effects of weight-loss medications on liver disease. It notes that treatment with semaglutide has led to improvements in both metabolic and fatty liver disease (MASLD) and liver fibrosis.
“Obesity is one of the main causes of declining public health and serves as a gateway to the development of other diseases – ranging from cardiovascular and metabolic conditions to certain oncological and neurodegenerative diseases. The importance of pharmacotherapy in the comprehensive management of patients with obesity is also underscored by the fact that, starting in mid-June, France will be the first country in the European Union to have pharmacological treatment for obesity covered by public health insurance,” adds Associate Professor Ľubomíra Fábryová.
The first EASO-accredited obesity management center in Slovakia has been operating at the BMC SAS since 2022. Scientists and physicians are investigating the causes and consequences of obesity, seeking intervention options, and providing comprehensive care to patients with obesity, which includes nutrition, exercise, and coaching.
“Our center welcomes more than a hundred new patients every year. In collaboration with the Slovak Obesity Association, we have been dedicated for over a decade to promoting an active, healthy lifestyle as part of comprehensive obesity management, as well as to putting this into practice. We see great value in this, as obesity management is a long-term endeavor, and a long-term, sustainable lifestyle change is an essential part of it,” says Professor Barbara Ukropcová, founder and director of the Center for Obesity Management at the BMC SAS.
You can find the full article in Nature Medicine here: Framework for the pharmacological treatment of obesity and its complications from the European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO): 2026 update
Contacts:
Ľubomíra Fábryová, President of SOA, Vice President of EASO and an expert in diabetology at BMC SAS, tel.: +421 903 838 291, e-mail: lfabryova@metabolklinik.sk
Ela Rybárová, PR manažérka BMC SAV, tel. č.: +421 911 744 756
Text: E. Rybárová, BMC SAS
Photo: archíve of Ľ. Fábryová