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Prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs among children under 12 in the U.S. have risen more than 300-fold since 2019 as doctors seek new, effective \u200btreatments for younger patients with obesity, according to a study published on \u200cFriday.<\/strong><\/p>\n The study, which included more than 3.5 million children aged between eight and 11 years with obesity but not diabetes, found that prescriptions for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs rose from 0.03% in \u200b2019 to 9.3% as of June.<\/p>\n Although the drugs are not approved \u200bfor use in children under 12 years, clinical guidelines allow the \u2060medications to be used for obesity in children as young as eight years \u200bold in certain cases.<\/p>\n 94% of the children prescribed GLP-1s had severe obesity, and \u200babout 65% had at least one related condition, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea.<\/p>\n Overall, 20,282 children received GLP-1 drugs during the study period \u2013 most often, Novo Nordisk\u2019s\u00a0Wegovy. \u200bDoctors also prescribed Novo\u2019s Saxenda and Eli Lilly\u2019s\u00a0\u00a0Zepbound.<\/p>\n While the absolute numbers of \u200bchildren under 12 receiving GLP-1 treatment is still low, the study shows that GLP-1 use \u200cis \u2060accelerating rapidly, said lead investigator and obesity medicine specialist Dr. Babak Orandi of NYU Langone Health.<\/p>\n Orandi added that long-term safety monitoring is needed to ensure the drugs remain safe and effective.<\/p>\n Children living in higher-income communities were 55% more likely to \u200bbe prescribed the medicines, \u200bsuggesting emerging disparities \u2060in access, according to the study published in the journal Pediatrics, opens new tab.<\/p>\n \u201cPhysicians and health policymakers alike have a responsibility to ensure \u2026 these valuable \u200band sometimes costly treatments become available to more than those \u200bwho have \u2060access to health insurance and can afford to visit pediatric clinics,\u201d said Allan Massie, co-author of the study and associate professor of surgery at NYU Grossman School \u2060of Medicine.<\/p>\n Researchers \u200bused Epic Cosmos, a national electronic health \u200brecords database encompassing more than 300 million U.S. patients. Epic had no role in the study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n