More children under 12 in U.S. are being prescribed weight-loss drugs, study finds
Children living in higher-income communities were 55% more likely to be prescribed the medicines, suggesting emerging disparities in access, according to the study
Prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs among U.S. children under 12 have surged more than 300 times since 2019, an alarming trend revealed in a new study. Conducted on over 3.5 million kids aged 8-11 with obesity but without diabetes, the research found GLP-1 prescriptions ballooned from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% as of June. While not officially approved for kids under 12, clinical guidelines permit the drugs for obesity in children as young as eight under specific circumstances.
Ninety-four percent of the children prescribed GLP-1s were battling severe obesity, and about 65% had additional conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. Of the 20,282 children receiving GLP-1 drugs during the study period, most were prescribed Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, with some also getting Novo's Saxenda and Eli Lilly's Zepbound.
Although the absolute numbers remain low, the rapid acceleration of GLP-1 use is cause for concern, according to lead investigator Dr. Babak Orandi of NYU Langone Health. Orandi emphasized the need for long-term safety monitoring to ensure the drugs' continued safety and efficacy. The study, published in Pediatrics, also highlighted emerging disparities in access to these treatments, with children in higher-income communities 55% more likely to receive GLP-1s.
Co-author Allan Massie of NYU Grossman School of Medicine stressed the responsibility of physicians and policymakers to ensure these valuable, albeit costly, treatments become available to more than just those with health insurance and the means to visit pediatric clinics.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
