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Semaglutide helps 4 in 10 children with obesity lose weight, move below limit in new trial
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In Short: A new phase 3 trial has shown that semaglutide, a drug typically used for diabetes, can help a significant portion of children with obesity lose weight and move below the obesity threshold.
About four in ten children with obesity who received once-weekly semaglutide were no longer classified as having obesity after 68 weeks, according to topline results from a phase 3 trial by drugmaker Novo Nordisk. The STEP Young trial involved 165 children aged 6 to under 12 years, with more than 85% of the children having class II or class III severe obesity at the start of the study.
Jastreboff, a Yale University obesity researcher and pediatric endocrinologist, highlighted the concerning nature of childhood obesity, noting that it can lead to obesity-related complications emerging earlier in life. 'Most of the children in the STEP Young trial were classified as having severe (class II or III) obesity at baseline,' she said, adding that treatment with semaglutide resulted in about 40% moving below the obesity threshold within roughly a year.
Children in the trial received a maximum semaglutide dose of either 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg, depending on their weight at the start of the trial. The trial met its primary endpoint, showing a greater reduction in body mass index (BMI) among children receiving semaglutide. Both the semaglutide and placebo groups followed a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity throughout the 68-week trial.
According to Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president, chief scientific officer, and head of research and development at Novo Nordisk, the company was encouraged by the results and the potential of semaglutide, alongside lifestyle changes, to help children who require medical treatment to manage obesity. 'For children living with obesity and their families, health challenges can begin early and affect wellbeing throughout life,' he said.
The overall safety and tolerability of semaglutide in the trial were consistent with findings from previous pediatric and adult studies. In children, obesity is assessed using age- and sex-specific BMI percentiles rather than adult BMI cut-offs because children are still growing. Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex.
What's still developing
- It also tends to persist into adulthood, when obesity-related complications can emerge earlier and more severely, according to the company’s release.
- She is the founding director of the Yale Obesity Research Center and a professor of medicine and paediatrics at Yale School of Medicine.
Sources
- The Indian Expresslink