Total, 20,282 youngsters obtained GLP-1 medication through the examine interval – most frequently, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Docs additionally prescribed Novo’s Saxenda and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound |Picture used for representational objective solely
| Photograph Credit score: REUTERS
Prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss medication amongst youngsters below 12 within the U.S. have risen extra than 300-fold since 2019 as docs search new, efficient remedies for youthful sufferers with weight problems, in accordance with a examine revealed on Friday.
The examine, which included greater than 3.5 million youngsters aged between eight and 11 years with weight problems however not diabetes, discovered that prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss medication rose from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% as of June.
Though the medication will not be permitted for use in youngsters below 12 years, medical tips enable the drugs for use for weight problems in youngsters as younger as eight years outdated in sure instances.
94% of the youngsters prescribed GLP-1s had extreme weight problems, and about 65% had at least one associated situation, similar to excessive ldl cholesterol, hypertension, and sleep apnea.
Total, 20,282 youngsters obtained GLP-1 medication through the examine interval – most frequently, Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. Docs additionally prescribed Novo’s Saxenda and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound.
Whereas absolutely the numbers of youngsters below 12 receiving GLP-1 remedy continues to be low, the examine exhibits that GLP-1 use is accelerating quickly, stated lead investigator and weight problems drugs specialist Dr. Babak Orandi of NYU Langone Well being.
Orandi added that long-term security monitoring is required to make sure the medication stay secure and efficient.
Kids dwelling in higher-income communities have been 55% extra prone to be prescribed the medicines, suggesting rising disparities in entry, in accordance with the examine revealed within the journal Pediatrics.
“Physicians and well being policymakers alike have a accountability to make sure … these invaluable and typically pricey remedies change into accessible to greater than those that have entry to medical health insurance and might afford to go to pediatric clinics,” stated Allan Massie, co-author of the examine and affiliate professor of surgical procedure at NYU Grossman Faculty of Medication.
Researchers used Epic Cosmos, a nationwide digital well being information database encompassing greater than 300 million U.S. sufferers. Epic had no position within the examine.
Revealed – September 06, 2026 08:03 pm IST
