What is Wegovy?
What is Wegovy?
Childhood obesity rates have increased over the past 15 years increasing from 17% to 20%. According to the CDC, in the United States 1 in 5 children and adolescents are affected by obesity. Meaning about 14.7 million children and adolescents are affected by this chronic disease. Excess weight has both physical consequences such as Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but also has an impact on the mental health and body image of children.
Recently released AAP guidelines emphasize that obesity is a complex disease which is affected not only by lifestyle but also by genetics, hormones and medications patients are taking. While we always emphasize lifestyle changes such as changes to diet and increased physical activity, we now have medications that can be effective for some patients.
Four drugs are now approved for obesity treatment in adolescents starting at age 12 — Orlistat, Saxenda, Qsymia and Wegovy. Phentermine is approved for teens age 16 and older. Another drug, called setmelanotide (brand name Imcivree), has been approved for children aged 6 and older who have Barde-Biedl syndrome, a genetic disease that causes obesity.
Semaglutide, also known by the brand name Wegovy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in late December 2022 for weight loss for patients age 12 and above, with a body mass index over the 95th percentile . Semaglutide (Wegovy) is a synthetic version of a gut hormone called GLP1 that decreases hunger and appetite. It is given as a subcutaneous injection once a week under the skin. It is released by the small intestine in response to a meal and works to decrease appetite and slow down how fast food is digested. It also works to increase insulin secretion. Clinical trial results that were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on December 15, 2022. The results showed that an injection of this medication once a week over 68 weeks, when coupled with healthy eating and increased physical activity decreased the Body Mass Index (BMI) of children age 12 and above by 16% compared to 0.5% in a group that took a placebo. In the treatment group, cholesterol and triglycerides also decreased.
Side effects seen in the trial were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and abdominal pain- similar to side effects seen in adults.
The results of this study are exciting for the pediatric community because they show that for certain patients, we can now offer medications to help treat obesity and its complications.
While this medication is effective for weight loss, it is not appropriate for all patients. To know whether it is right for your child, always discuss this with your doctor. As a pediatrician, I want to continue to recommend focusing on healthy eating and increased physical activity. I emphasize eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, a variety of lean protein foods, while limiting food and beverages with added sugars or high sodium. However, we now have additional tools that we can utilize such as medications for weight loss for pediatric patients requiring this therapy.
References
