Obesity affects 15 million kids and teens in the United States, leading many to use weight-loss drugs like Wegovy to shed weight. Is it safe and does it set children up for a healthy life? NBC’s Vicky Nguyen reports for TODAY.
In a late-stage clinical trial, a drug similar to Ozempic was shown to reduce body mass index in kids ages 6 to 11 with obesity, according to results published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings bring the phenomenon — and the controversy — of the latest new and powerful weight loss drugs to the youngest age group yet. With the exception of drugs for rare genetic disorders that cause obesity, there are no pharmaceutical options for obesity in children under 12.
Older kids, she added, were able to give themselves the injections, while younger kids needed their parents to do it. A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said that it has submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration to expand the approval of liraglutide for weight loss in children ages 6 to 11. Is 6 too young for a weight loss drug? As childhood obesity rates rise, some doctors have advocated for more aggressive approaches and earlier treatments.
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