Study finds obesity drug helps teens in losing weight
A drug called semaglutide, which is approved for adults with obesity or overweight, also helps adolescents shed pounds and have healthier hearts, according to a new study. In an international phase 3a clinical trial, adolescents with obesity who received once-weekly semaglutide compared to placebo had a 16.1 percent decrease in their body mass index (BMI) while the BMI of those who took a placebo rose by 0.6 percent. Senior author Silva Arslanian, M.D., professor of pediatrics and clinical and translational science who holds the Richard L. Day Endowed Chair in Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said, "Rates of obesity are increasing, not just in the U.S., but all over the world." "Semaglutide is an obesity drug that mimics a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 to target areas of the brain that decrease appetite and improve control of eating. In 2021, this drug was approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight. To assess whether semaglutide is also effective in youths, researchers enrolled 201 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years with obesity or overweight across multiple centres. Participants received either once-weekly subcutaneous injections of semaglutide 2.4 mg or placebo, and all received concurrent lifestyle intervention counseling on healthy nutrition and physical activity throughout the trial. After 68 weeks, 72.5% of semaglutide participants had achieved at least 5% weight loss compared to just 17% of those on placebo. Teenagers with obesity are also more likely to have depression, anxiety, poor self-esteem and other psychological issues. The analysis showed that semaglutide participants had improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, including waist circumference, a blood sugar metric called HbA1c, total, low-density and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides and liver enzymes compared with the placebo group. However, there was no statistically significant difference in blood pressure or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol between the two groups.