Weight-loss drug effective for kids as young as 6, study shows

Jonel Aleccia, Associated Press

A supplier approved to dainty obesity successful adults and teens is safe and effective for usage successful kids arsenic young arsenic 6 erstwhile mixed pinch fare and exercise, a mini caller study shows.

Liraglutide lowered assemblage mass, slowed weight summation and improved wellness markers successful kids ages 6 done 11, according to investigation presented Tuesday astatine a aesculapian convention and published successful nan New England Journal of Medicine.

Based connected nan results of nan trial, drugmaker Novo Nordisk has asked U.S. regulators to grow usage of nan medicine for kids successful that property group, a institution spokesperson said Tuesday. If approved, nan supplier would beryllium nan first authorized to dainty nan astir communal type of obesity that affects much than 20% of U.S. kids ages 6 done 11, according to nan U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“To date, children person had virtually nary options for treating obesity,” said Dr. Claudia Fox, a pediatric obesity master astatine nan University of Minnesota who led nan study. “They person been told to ‘try harder’ pinch fare and exercise.”

Side effects were communal among those fixed nan drug, peculiarly gastrointestinal effects specified arsenic nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. And experts said doctors and parents would request to cautiously see those risks and nan deficiency of information astir nan semipermanent usage of specified narcotics successful young kids.

“Having a medicine for that property group, if approved, would beryllium a really bully instrumentality to have, but we’re besides going to person to beryllium observant astir really wide we commencement utilizing it,” said Dr. Melissa Crocker, a pediatric obesity master astatine Boston Children’s Hospital who wasn’t progressive successful nan study. “And I would reply that otherwise astatine 6 than I would astatine 11.”

Liraglutide is successful a people of alleged GLP-1 narcotics that see blockbuster medications for illustration Wegovy and Mounjaro. The medications mimic hormones that impact appetite, feelings of fullness and digestion. It’s taken arsenic a regular injection and is approved nether nan marque sanction Victoza to dainty glucosuria successful adults and children ages 10 and older and arsenic Saxenda to dainty obesity successful adults and children ages 12 to 17.

The caller study, paid for by Novo Nordisk, included 82 children pinch a mean property of 10 and a baseline weight of astir 155 pounds (70 kilograms). The mean starting BMI was 31, supra nan period for puerility obesity. More than half nan children had obesity-related wellness problems specified arsenic insulin resistance, asthma aliases early puberty. The results were presented astatine nan yearly gathering of nan European Association for nan Study of Diabetes successful Madrid.

In nan trial, 56 children received regular injections of up to 3 milligrams of liraglutide for astir 13 months, while 26 sewage dummy medications. The kids were followed for six months afterward.

All nan children received individual counseling to thief them travel a scheme that called for a patient fare and 60 minutes a time of mean to high-intensity exercise.

Researchers recovered that kids who took nan supplier for much than a twelvemonth reduced their assemblage wide scale — a measurement of tallness and weight that tin relationship for a child’s earthy maturation – by 5.8%. Children who received nan dummy medicine saw their BMI summation by 1.6%.

At nan aforesaid time, children who received nan supplier slowed weight summation to 1.6% of their assemblage weight during that period, compared pinch a 10% summation for those who sewage sham drugs.

The study recovered that 46% of kids who sewage nan supplier lowered their BMI by astatine slightest 5%, an magnitude that has been linked to improvements successful wellness problems tied to obesity. In kids who received placebo, 9% met that mark. Lower measures of humor unit and humor sweetener were detected successful children who received nan drug, researchers noted.

Side effects, mostly mild to moderate, were reported successful astir 90% of some groups of participants. Gastrointestinal broadside effects including nausea and vomiting were reported successful 80% of kids who received nan drug, compared pinch 54% who received sham medications. Serious broadside effects were reported successful 7 children utilizing liraglutide and 2 who took placebo. Six participants taking nan supplier near nan proceedings because of nan broadside effects, while nary 1 taking placebo stopped treatment.

In nan six-month follow-up, children successful some groups who stopped curen accrued BMI and gained weight, nan study found. The proceedings has been extended to see much curen and travel up, pinch results expected successful 2027.

Fox receives investigation backing from Novo Nordisk and drugmaker Eli Lilly paid straight to her institution. Those companies are besides conducting tests pinch much powerful play injections of Novo’s Wegovy and Lilly’s Zepbound successful kids arsenic young arsenic 6.

Dr. Alaina Vidmar, a pediatric obesity master astatine Children’s Hospital Los Angeles who wasn’t progressive successful nan caller study, said she has utilized liraglutide off-label to dainty young kids and would invited support of nan supplier to summation elasticity and access.

The supplier treats nan underlying physiology of obesity, which is simply a complex, chronic illness that tin hap astatine immoderate age. Early usage tin forestall obesity and life-threatening wellness problems from extending into nan teen years — and adulthood.

“We want these kids to person long, patient lives,” Vidmar said. “The sooner that we tin start, nan much apt we tin extremity them from getting early onset diabetes, early onset bosom disease, slumber apnea, each of those things. Doing thing is not nan correct answer.”