A recent study indicates that liraglutide, an antidiabetic drug, is safe and effective for treating obesity in children as young as six, when coupled with diet and exercise. Researchers presented findings at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, funded by Novo Nordisk, involved 82 children aged six to eleven, with a trial duration of nearly 13 months.
Novo Nordisk has requested US regulators to approve liraglutide, a GLP-1 drug like Wegovy and Mounjaro, for obesity treatment in this younger demographic. Approval would mark it as the first drug available to counteract the prevalent form of obesity affecting over 20% of US children aged six to eleven. Dr. Claudia Fox, who led the study, emphasized that children currently have limited options, proposing liraglutide as a critical intervention tool.
Despite the promising results, side effects, mainly gastrointestinal, were reported by a significant percentage of participants. While the drug's reduction in BMI and improvement of health markers seem advantageous, experts like Dr. Melissa Crocker of Boston Children's Hospital urge caution. They stress the importance of considering risks and the lack of long-term data.
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