Weight-loss drugs are all the rage, but are they safe for children? EMILY BRINDLEY
The Dallas Morning News
Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are increasingly popular among adults, who have fl ocked to the new medications as alternatives to the traditional -- and often ineff ective -- advice to "eat less and exercise more."
As of this summer, about 12% of U.S. adults said they had been on a GLP-1 receptor agonist -- the class of drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy -- for either weight loss or treatment of another condition, according to a poll by KFF Health News. Celebrities have taken the drugs. The term "Ozempic face" has entered the lexicon. And the drugs have been in such high demand that counterfeit -- and sometimes dangerous -- versions have popped up, too.
As the drugs gained name recognition among adults, they've also become more and more popular with children and adolescents.
'We need more time'
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About 1 in every 5 children in the U.S. has obesity, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among adolescents, prescriptions of GLP-1s have skyrocketed. More than 30,000 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old used GLP-1s in 2023, according to a University of Michigan study.
Doctors say early obesity intervention can help prevent later health problems, but prescribing drugs to growing children comes with its own complications.
Dr. Chris Straughn, a pediatrician at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas, said research shows GLP-1s can be both eff ective and safe for kids and teens, but that research only shows the impact over a few years.
"Both in kids and adults, we just don't know. These meds are new enough that we need more time," Straughn said.
Wegovy, which is the weight-loss equivalent to the drug Ozempic, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in kids as young as 12. It hasn't been approved for kids younger than 12, though there is ongoing research on younger kids. A recent study on Saxenda, a predecessor to Wegovy, found the drug was eff ective for kids ages 6 to 12.
That type of study is encouraging for GLP-1 use in kids.
"Early intervention is a good thing, and that's what pediatricians hang our hats on," Straughn said. "So this absolutely can be a tool."
But there's still a lot of unknowns. Dr. Dan Cooper -- a researcher and pediatrics professor at the University of California, Irvine's School of Medicine -- said there are circumstances when a GLP-1 prescription makes sense, such as when a child is developing or has already developed diabetes. But for other children, the risk calculation is more difficult.
That's particularly because there isn't much research on the long-term impacts of GLP-1s when prescription starts as a child or adolescent. Cooper said puberty is an especially important time for cementing long-term health, and there could be long-term repercussions if children's bodies and brains aren't given the nutrients to develop properly.
"During that time, you get bone mineralization and you get muscle development and you probably get changes in your brain and behavior, which are related to energy balance," Cooper said. "By the time you're a young adult or beyond, you can't do that again."
Be cautious and supportive
It's not clear whether GLP-1 use in childhood or adolescence could have an impact on long-term development. And that's exactly Cooper's point.
"What's the long-term eff ect? Nobody knows. So this is my concern, that we should be very, very careful about using these medications," Cooper said.
Overall, Cooper said, parents shouldn't be afraid to ask their children's doctors about GLP-1s and have their children use the drugs -- when it's appropriate. For children and adolescents who do begin using GLP-1s, Cooper said parents should keep an eye out to make sure it's not triggering or worsening depressive symptoms in their child. He also said parents should continue to encourage healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle.
Cooper had one other message to parents with children who have obesity or are overweight: They and their kids shouldn't be ashamed.
"Nobody should be ashamed of it. Human beings become obese because of our biology," Cooper said. "Parents should understand that they shouldn't blame themselves and they shouldn't blame their kids for being overweight."
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