Weight loss jabs should be given to obese children as young as 12, says one of the world’s most senior doctors
An expert claims there is ‘mounting evidence’ that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic can be effective in treating severely obese teenagers.
Professor Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation, said the drug works “in exactly the same way” in younger patients as it does in adults and in extreme cases “may be justified” in children even under 12 years old.
Professor Baur is also an obesity pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Speaking at the International Congress on Obesity in Sao Paolo, Brazil, she said: ‘Obesity among the youngest in our society is becoming increasingly common.
‘Using the latest generation of anti-obesity drugs could provide a less invasive option for adolescents with severe obesity.’
Professor Louise Baur suggested that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic could treat obese teenagers in the same way as adults.
The president of the World Obesity Federation said the drug could be “justified” in extreme cases, even for children under 12.
Professor Baur added that ‘obesity at all ages is not an acute, once treated, always cured disease’, adding that any use of slimming drugs should be combined with lifestyle changes.
The rise of medications such as Wegovy and Ozempic has led to a surge of interest in the medical industry, as these medications are effective in promoting weight loss, but also have other side effects – positive and negative.
She continued, “Several recent studies show that these new medications, such as semaglutide, work exactly the same in adolescents as they do in adults, and the safety profile is similar.
‘Semaglutide works, among other things, by affecting the appetite centers in the brain, which creates a feeling of satiety, reduces hunger and decreases food consumption.’
Semaglutide – sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic, and Rybelsus – is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, a family of medications that help regulate blood sugar levels.
Wegovy is recommended to help obese adults lose weight on the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice).
Last year, NHS England announced that the number of hospital admissions of obese under-17s had tripled in the previous decade, from 3,370 in 2011/12 to 9,431 in 2021/22.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity rates among teenagers worldwide have quadrupled since 1990.
Figures released in March showed that there were more than 390 million overweight young people aged five to 19 in 2022, with 160 million classified as obese.
Prof Baur added: ‘There is increasing evidence for the use of certain anti-obesity drugs in adolescents. However, there is no evidence yet for their use in younger children under 12 years of age. However, their use may be justified in younger children with more severe obesity.’
However, she warned that weight-loss drugs should be combined with lifestyle changes ‘in all cases’.
‘It is clear from our experience with adults that long-term use is most likely to be necessary, but more evidence is needed on this,’ she said.
‘More evidence is also needed for the use of these drugs in adolescents as maintenance therapy, as pre-treatment for surgery, as treatment after surgery, as combination therapy, and for the use of drugs in combination with other treatments for obesity.
“But as we have seen in adults, the cost and availability of these drugs in every country is a major barrier.”