More children under 12 in U.S. are being prescribed weight-loss drugs, study finds
A new study reveals a 300-fold increase in GLP-1 weight-loss drug prescriptions for children under 12 in the U.S. since 2019. While these drugs are not officially approved for this age group, doctors are increasingly using them to treat severe obesity and related health conditions.
Why it matters
The rapid rise in off-label use of powerful weight-loss medications in children raises significant questions about long-term safety, medical ethics, and healthcare access disparities.
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 treatments for younger patients with obesity, according to a study published on Friday.
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 2019 to 9.3% as of June.
Although the drugs are not approved for use in children under 12 years, clinical guidelines allow the medications to be used for obesity in children as young as eight years old in certain cases.
94% of the children prescribed GLP-1s had severe obesity, and about 65% had at least one related condition, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea.
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