Common prescription drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes Diabetes A new study suggests that the drug, used for weight management in adults, appears to be safe and effective for helping children lose weight, at least in the short term.
Liraglutide (brand names Victoza or Saxenda) is in the same class of medication as semaglutide, the drug that makes Ozempic and Wegovy.
Subcutaneous injection first Approved It was approved in the United States in 2010 as an adjunct treatment for type 2 diabetes. Four years later, Approved For weight management in adults who are considered overweight or obese.
Despite the growing popularity of liraglutide and similar drugs, their long-term effects are still under investigation, including in adults, and their use in children remains controversial.
Some scientists Warned In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that liraglutide could be dangerous or have unexpected consequences for children in the long term. Approved Liraglutide for use in people aged 10 years or older with type 2 diabetes.
Currently, there are no medications approved for the treatment of obesity in children under 12 years of age.
Phase 3 Clinical Trials A clinical trial involving 82 participants has shown early results that liraglutide, when combined with other lifestyle interventions, is a safe and effective weight loss drug, even in children as young as 6 years old.
About a year after the start of the trial, which was funded by liraglutide manufacturer Novo Nordisk, participants aged 6 to 12 who received liraglutide had a 5.8% reduction in BMI. placebo During the same period, BMI increased by about 1.6 percent.
Because children this age are still growing, some weight gain over the course of a year is expected even without drug treatment.
All children who participated received counselling from qualified medical professionals and were encouraged to eat a healthy diet and get around an hour of exercise a day.
“In our study, children who received liraglutide experienced greater improvements in measures of diastolic blood pressure and glycemic control than those who received placebo.” explain “The study is a step forward for the study’s authors, including Dr. Claudia Fox, a pediatrician at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Permission and Contacting Support It was provided by Novo Nordisk and another pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly.
The incidence of side effects was similar in both groups, but temporary gastrointestinal problems such as nausea and vomiting were about 30 percent more common in the liraglutide group.
“Until now, children have had few options for treating obesity.” Assert Fox.
“Kids have been told to ‘try harder’ with their diet and exercise. Now the possibility of developing drugs that address the underlying physiology of obesity offers hope that children living with obesity may be able to lead healthier, more productive lives.”
Accompanying editorialPaediatricians Julian Hamilton-Shields and Timothy Barrett claim that Fox and his colleagues have provided “long-awaited evidence” of the effectiveness of liraglutide in obese young children.
However, the study did not measure body composition, and the researchers point out that BMI is a poor surrogate for fat mass.
After treatment was stopped, children in the liraglutide arm of the trial showed an increase in BMI scores, “which is concerning because it suggests that drug therapy may need to be continued to prevent BMI rebound.” explain Hamilton Shield and Barrett.
The same concerns apply to adults taking these drugs: Studies have shown that once they stop taking the injections, the average patient regains about two-thirds of the weight they lost within a year.
Significant fluctuations in weight during childhood can pose significant risks to later development.
In an editorial published last year, some scientists (who did not declare a conflict of interest) Warned “Little attention has been paid to the unintended consequences and adverse effects these drugs may have on children and adolescents during critical periods of growth and development.”
Given that long-term side effects of incretin mimetics are still emerging in adults, there is every reason to tread with caution.
This study New England Journal of Medicine.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25697397/STK071_APPLE_N.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Apple is reportedly working on developing “LLM Siri” to compete with ChatGPT")
