The popular weight loss product Wegovy is now available for children aged 12 and over.
Danish manufacturer Novo Nordisk has announced that the Food and Drug Administration has extended approval of the drug to children. It already received official approval for use in adults last year.
In clinical studies, teenagers aged 12 to 17 who received the weekly injection lost 14 percent of their body weight over 64 weeks. This is almost identical to the adult studies, in which the recipients lost 15 percent of their weight after 68 weeks.
Wegovy and its sister drug Ozempic surged in popularity in 2022 due to their unprecedented success in aiding weight loss. Tech mogul Elon Musk has credited it with his body transformation, and Hollywood stars like Kim Kardashian have reportedly used it as well.
However, there are some concerns about Wegovy’s long-term effectiveness, as a recent study shows that users regain the lost weight when they stop using the drug.
The above shows the percentage changes in body mass index (BMI) among participants. The dotted line, week 68, indicates the end of the study. After that, participants in both groups began to regain the lost weight
Above you can see the participants divided by the percentage of their body weight they lost. Overall, those given the drug were more likely to lose weight
The prevalence of teen obesity in the US continues to rise, affecting teens and their families. Now more than ever we need new options to support teenagers,” said Dr. Aaron Kelly, a childhood obesity expert at the University of Minnesota, in a statement.
Is the latest scam from Wegovy Big Pharma
Patients who stopped taking the drug put the pounds back on in MONTHS
“This FDA approval provides an additional tool to treat this serious, chronic, progressive disease.”
The study, conducted by the University of Minnesota, tested weekly injections in 201 obese youth.
Two-thirds of them used Wegovy, while the others received weight loss counseling but no medication.
The teenagers started out with an average weight of 235 pounds. The group using Wegovy lost an average of 33 pounds over the 16-month study.
A third of the teenagers who took the drug managed to lose at least a fifth of their total body weight.
The vaccination was safe, but the most likely side effects were nausea and vomiting.
Participants were also followed up for three months after the end of the study.
Both groups regained weight during this time, but it was the most in the drug group.
The doses for adolescents are the same as for adults. Teenagers start with a weekly injection of 0.25 mg, which can be taken in the thigh or arm.
The dose is increased every month until a maintenance dose of 2.4 mg is reached in the fourth month.
Most people can access Wegovy with a prescription, and insurance will cover it in most cases.
Some people who are not obese but try to use one of the drugs end up paying more than $1,000 out of pocket to do so.
However, it can be difficult to get hold of. Wegovy is currently in short supply and Americans have not been able to start a new course for over a month.
About one in five 12- to 15-year-olds in the US is already classified as obese, a number that has risen after the Covid pandemic prompted many to spend long periods indoors
Sister drug Ozempic has become an alternative. Both are made by Novo and use the active ingredient Semaglutide.
So much so that they turned to Ozempic, which is approved to treat type 2 diabetes but can be used effectively off-label for weight loss, that it also had shortcomings.
Semaglutide was originally developed to treat diabetes. It works by helping the pancreas to release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high.
But scientists found that it also had the side effect of reducing appetite, leading to weight loss. When people eat food, cells in the gut begin to release the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
It travels to the hypothalamus – an almond-shaped structure in the center of the brain – and activates that area to cause a feeling of fullness or health.
The mechanism tells the body to stop eating, but of course it only lasts a few minutes. Semaglutide, on the other hand, keeps it active for days.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
