Teens who are dealing with obesity may soon get access to a weight-loss medication that has been approved for adults.
As reported by US News. In a recent clinical experiment, young people who received the medication Wegovy (semaglutide) were able to lose an average of 14.7% of their initial body weight. More over 40% of the young people who received the medicine as a weekly injection along with lifestyle advice were able to lower their BMI by 20% or more.
The trial, which was written up in the New England Journal of Medicine on November 2, involved 201 patients aged 12 to 17 who were seen at hospitals in the United States, Europe, and Mexico. Instead of Wegovy, some patients received a placebo and advice on healthy eating and exercise. In reality, those kids put on 2.7% of their starting weight. Novo Nordisk, the company that makes the medicine, paid for the study.
Aaron Kelly, co-author of the study and co-director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine, told NBC News, “I’m absolutely excited.” We’ve reached the stage where teens come to us in tears because of the weight loss we’re seeing. For the first time in their lives, they can manage their weight.
The average weight of study participants was 237 pounds. In comparison to 18% of those who just got lifestyle changes, over 73% of those who took the drug dropped 5% or more of their body weight. Teenagers’ quality of life was also improved, and some cardiovascular risk factors were reduced thanks to the medicine.
According to Kelly, this is the first instance in which an anti-obesity medicine for youth has been shown to enhance their quality of life. Semaglutide is the “most highly effective anti-obesity medication for teens,” according to Kelly, despite the fact that there is another medication approved for use in obese adolescents.
When doctors discovered weight loss to be a side effect, the medication was initially prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes. The drug for weight loss was then successfully tested by Novo Nordisk. In 2021, the FDA granted the drug approval for use in obese individuals.
According to Dr. Eduardo Grunvald, medical director of the University of California, San Diego’s weight management program, “Medications for treating weight in youngsters is a novel concept for most people.” These drugs will spread in popularity as more information about their effectiveness and safety becomes available.
According to Grunvald, many people view obesity “as a lifestyle issue that is within our control.” But we are aware that lifestyle changes alone have a minimal effect at best. The long-term effectiveness of the medicine for people who use it is still an open topic.
Dr. Zhaoping Li, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, told NBC News that data on those using it for diabetes showed that people gained weight. Of course, the major question is: Will weight return if people stop using this medication after one or two years? Probably yes, was her response.
Li advised that instead of just focusing on helping the patients lose weight and keep it off, they should also be given the chance to make fundamental adjustments that will enable them to live a healthier lifestyles. Children who are obese are more likely than adults to have diseases connected to weight later in life.
According to Dr. Monica Bianco, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “overweight and obesity are major problems in this society.” “As overweight children grow into young adults, diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol begin to affect them. People as young as 30 are experiencing heart attacks.
The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that over 20% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 19 are obese. This includes Emmalea Zummo, a 17-year-old who began the trial weighing 250 pounds and experiencing depression over it.
According to Zummo, “I tried diets.” “I tried working out. Nothing would work even though I play more sports than any other young person I know. My body would merely grow accustomed to the additional exercise and the new food, and the weight would return.
Western Pennsylvanian Zummo claims to feel better about herself now that she has lost more than 70 pounds.
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