FDA Officially Approves Effective Obesity Drug To Help Teens Shed Weight

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now expanded the offering of an effective obesity drug—known as Wegovy—to teenagers and children as young as 12 years of age. 

This new-generation treatment performed well in clinical trials, with children taking the drug losing far more weight than those who were given a placebo. 

While we usually think of obesity as something that happens in adulthood, the disease can often start in childhood or adolescence. Novo Nordisk reported that up to 90% of teens with obesity could continue to live with the issue into adulthood. 

Wegovy was first approved back in June 2021, but only for adults. The FDA recommended the treatment for those with a BMI over 30 (the official definition for ‘obese’) or a BMI over 27 and one or more related conditions, such as high blood pressure. 

The drug was hailed as a breakthrough despite not being widely available and costly a hefty sum, as it was the first new medication for obesity approved in the last seven years. The company said its supply issues will clear up in the new year.

Studies showed that Wegovy, which is administered through injection once a week, helped patients lose an average of 12.4% of their initial body weight over 68 weeks, with a total weight loss of about 15%. 

Now, as per recent results from a trial published last month, it seems the drug is just as effective—if not more so—for teens, with patients who underwent the treatment losing an average 14.7% of their initial body weight over a year, while their counterparts on the placebo gained 2.7%.

Not only did the group that received the medication see an average 16.1% loss in BMI, but it also enjoyed the same level of safety that Wegovy shows in adults. Side effects reported included nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, though these lessened over the course of the treatment. 

Only 5% of people in both adult and teen groups decided to discontinue the drug mid-way through the study. 

“The prevalence of teen obesity in the US continues to rise, affecting teens and their families. Now, more than ever, we need new options to support teens. This FDA approval offers an additional tool to address this serious, chronic, progressive disease,” concluded Aaron S Kelly, PhD, Co-Director of the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine at the University of Minnesota. 

[via Gizmodo and Novo Nordisk, cover image via Dragan Andrii | Dreamstime.com]