Physicians alarmed over prescribing of weight-loss drugs to US children

Doctors have sounded the alarm after data showed that prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs among children under 12 in the US have risen more than 300-fold since 2019.

The study, which included more than 3.5 million children aged between eight and 11 with obesity but without diabetes, found that prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs rose from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% as of June, a Reuters report highlighted.

Although the drugs are not approved for use in children under 12, clinical guidelines allow the medications to be used to treat obesity in children as young as eight in certain cases.

Some 94% of the children prescribed GLP-1s had severe obesity, while about 65% had at least one related condition, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.

Overall, 20,282 children received GLP-1 drugs during the study period, most commonly Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. Doctors also prescribed Novo's Saxenda and Eli Lilly's Zepbound.

While the absolute number of children under 12 receiving GLP-1 treatment remains low, the study shows that use of the drugs is accelerating rapidly, said lead investigator and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Babak Orandi of NYU Langone Health.

Orandi added that long-term safety monitoring is needed to ensure the drugs remain safe and effective.

Children living in higher-income communities were 55% more likely to be prescribed the medications, suggesting emerging disparities in access, according to the study, published in the journal Pediatrics.

"Physicians and health policymakers alike have a responsibility to ensure [...] these valuable and sometimes costly treatments become available to more than those who have access to health insurance and can afford to visit pediatric clinics," said Allan Massie, co-author of the study and associate professor of surgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Researchers used Epic Cosmos, a national electronic health records database encompassing more than 300 million US patients. Epic had no role in the study.

Childhood and adolescent obesity have reached epidemic levels in the United States. From August 2021 to August 2023, an estimated 21.1% of children and teenagers aged 2-19 were obese, according to CDC data, up from 19.3% in 2017-2018. While childhood obesity has surged worldwide in recent years, the US remains among the countries with the highest rates.

The changing child malnutrition landscape, UNICEF explains, is not caused by a sudden decline in children's willpower or parental responsibility. Rather, it is largely driven by unhealthy food environments dominated by ultra-processed and fast foods.

High in sugar, refined starch, salt, unhealthy fats and additives, these foods have become cheap, convenient and appealing. Digital marketing gives the food and beverage industry powerful access to young audiences, while the market is saturated with such products. Children and adolescents are bombarded with them everywhere, from shops and schools to digital spaces, the report notes.

By Nazrin Sadigova