Liraglutide, the long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug, was approved for weight loss in among pediatric patients aged 12 and older who are obese. Recently, manufacturer Novo Nordisk found in a sponsored study that children between the ages of 6 and 12—a younger population—were able to reduce their body mass index by 7.4% in a 56-week trial using daily liraglutide injections, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The trial of 92 children met its primary endpoint of body mass index reduction for those on liraglutide, as well as secondary endpoints, including weight loss, compared with a placebo.Â
Why it matters: There are no drugs approved for weight loss in kids under the age of 12. Liraglutide was approved for adolescents 12 and older in 2020 and the newer GLP-1 semaglutide was similarly approved in 2022.