Weight-loss jabs for children as young as 12 are being considered by ministers
Weight-loss pills for children aged 12 and over are being considered by ministers amid rising obesity and a rise in young people suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure and knee problems
Weight-loss shots for children as young as 12 are being considered in an effort to reduce childhood obesity.
Ministers have asked medical regulators to assess the potential of administering semaglutide injections to obese children aged 12 to 17.
The weight loss drug, which works by suppressing appetite, has recently been given the green light for use in adults on the NHS.
But now officials have asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to consider its use, alongside a program of diet and exercise, for obese teens, with a decision expected early next year.
Experts suggest it could reduce the number of children being sent for invasive weight-loss surgeries, but there are also fears it could lead to ‘over-medication’ of children.
The Mail on Sunday revealed that a growing number of children are being treated for high blood pressure, diabetes and knee problems (file image)
Trials of the drug in adults showed that those who took it lost about 12 percent of their body weight and cut their chances of developing type 2 diabetes by more than half (file image)
It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed that more and more children are being treated for high blood pressure, diabetes and knee problems.
Trials of the drug in adults showed that those who took it lost about 12 percent of their body weight and cut their chances of developing type 2 diabetes by more than half.
However, more evidence is needed to understand the long-term risks and benefits for children.
But Professor Keith Godfrey, from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, told The Observer it risked ‘medicalising an entire generation’.