An anti-obesity treatment that works on the same principle as the popular Ozempic appears to be effective and without serious side effects in children, but the significance of the results can only be confirmed through long-term follow-up, a study published Wednesday showed.
“Liraglutide appears to be superior to placebo in terms of its ability to change weight and body mass index” in children aged 6 to 12, according to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the largest medical journals.
Liraglutide, sold by Danish pharmaceutical group Novo Nordisk under the name Saxenda, works on the same principle as the company’s other semaglutide treatments, Ozempic and Wegovy.
These treatments were originally developed to treat diabetes, and work by reproducing the action of the hormone GLP-1, with a particular focus on appetite suppression, and have recently shown effectiveness in controlling obesity.
It may constitute a therapeutic revolution, although a large number of researchers and doctors are still dealing with these treatments with caution, awaiting further research in the coming stages.
The New England Journal of Medicine study involved a relatively small number of children. About 50 people took liraglutide — given by daily injection — and 23 took a placebo. In both groups, participants were also asked to make lifestyle changes, including diet and physical activity.
low body mass index
After a little over a year, fewer than half of the children taking liraglutide saw their body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight and height, fall by at least 5%. That was the case for just two children, or less than one in 10, in the placebo group.
However, treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy cause potentially annoying side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, although they do not appear to be serious.
Researchers hailed the findings as an encouraging step in the treatment of obesity in children, for whom no treatment is currently recommended.
“It is positive to see that liraglutide is effective and safe in children,” said Simon Cork, a physiology researcher at Anglia Ruskin University.
But he cautioned that “we will need more studies over a longer period to make sure that the growth of these children will not be affected later because of the reduction in their appetite.”