Wegovy Ingredient Helps 40% of Obese Children 'Escape Obesity'... Novo Clinical Trial

[Financial News] It was found that 4 out of 10 children administered semaglutide, the active ingredient of the obesity treatment drug Wegovy, did not meet the obesity criteria in clinical trials. Semaglutide is a drug that mimics the action of the GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist, which is involved in regulating appetite and blood sugar.
According to British media reports on the 7th (local time), Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk stated, "In a late-stage clinical trial, 40.4% of obese children aged 6 to under 12 administered semaglutide were no longer classified as obese after 68 weeks." Novo Nordisk explained, "The semaglutide group demonstrated superior results compared to the placebo group in reducing body mass index (BMI) at 68 weeks, meeting the primary endpoint of the clinical trial."
However, all children participating in this trial followed a lifestyle improvement program throughout the trial period, regardless of whether they were administered medication. This included a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. Martin Holst Lange, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Novo Nordisk, noted, "It is encouraging that semaglutide can help obese children better manage their obesity in conjunction with lifestyle changes."
These results came at a time when GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist obesity treatments have not yet been approved for children under 12 years of age in the United States.
Recently in the United States, GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist prescriptions for young children are rapidly increasing, regardless of approval status. According to a study previously reported by the British media, prescriptions for GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist obesity treatments for children under the age of 12 in the U.S. have increased more than 300-fold since 2019. An analysis of over 3.5 million obese children aged 8 to 11 revealed that the GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist prescription rate rose from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% in June of this year.
Against this backdrop, the results of this late-stage clinical trial are expected to serve as data supporting the possibility of expanding the age range for semaglutide use.
[email protected] Hong Chae-wan Reporter