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Weight-loss jabs for children ‘are effective and help prevent mealtime battles'

Weight-loss jabs for children ‘are effective and help prevent mealtime battles'

Experts at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, presented findings showing the drugs helped severely obese youngsters shed pounds on top of the diet and lifestyle plan they were already following.
Weight-loss jabs, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by reducing food cravings and are available on the NHS for adults with a high body mass index (BMI), or via private providers.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) stopped its appraisal of semaglutide (Wegovy) for managing obesity in children aged 12 to 17 after the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, said it was unable to provide an evidence submission.
However, specialist paediatric clinics can prescribe weight-loss injections if there is a proven clinical need.
Side-effects of weight-loss drugs include nausea, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and vision problems.
Dr Annika Janson, from Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden – who presented the new research, said: 'GLP-1 drugs are increasingly used to treat obesity in adults.
'They can also be used in children from the age of 12 and clinical trials have shown children lose 5%-16% of their body weight after a year of treatment.
'However, treating children in real-life situations has challenges that don't come up in research studies.
'Children have varying degrees of obesity, co-morbidities and complications and may have faced problems in supply of the drug, financing it or taking it.
'As a consequence, it is difficult to isolate the effect of adding GLP-1 drugs to the plethora of treatments that are already available.'
To address this question, Dr Janson and colleagues added GLP-1 receptor agonists to an existing treatment programme for child obesity.
The study involved 1,126 children (52% of them boys) aged up to 16 with severe obesity who were receiving intensive health behaviour and lifestyle treatment (IHBLT) at the National Childhood Obesity Centre in Stockholm.
IHBLT involves working with children, families and schools and looks at healthy foods, meal size, meal order, screen time, exercise and psychological wellbeing.
From 2023, GLP-1 drug liraglutide was included for around one in four patients. Later on, the drug semaglutide (Wegovy) was used.
While the reduction in BMI was similar between the groups until 2022, adding a weight loss jab had an additional effect.
Some 30% on liraglutide dropped enough weight to improve their health, compared with around 27% of those treated earlier on with no jab.
While the differences do not seem big, and not all children were taking the drug at all points, it suggests a trend, Dr Janson said. She said there were better later results with semaglutide.
'Only a fraction of the children had GLP-1 drugs and most of those who did started on them six to 12 months into the treatment programme. Longer-term treatment may lead to greater improvements in BMI,' she said.
'These are just early indications but it does look as if the average effect of being a patient at our clinic has improved after adding GLP-1 drugs to the toolbox.'
She added: 'Many children with severe obesity describe hunger and a strong appetite – both of which GLP-1 receptor agonists are known to help with.
'Results beyond obesity are also important. The families reported reduced conflicts around food and improved capacity for other lifestyle adaptations.
'It was easier to stick to meals and limit snacks. Portions could be down-sized. For some children, not being hungry all the time is a new feeling.
'GLP-1 receptor agonists are clearly beneficial to many children with severe obesity and, while they won't help in all cases, more children should have access to these important medications.'
A spokesman for Novo Nordisk said: 'Novo Nordisk did not submit evidence for a Nice appraisal for semaglutide and liraglutide for managing overweight and obesity in young people aged 12 to 17 years due to a lack of utility data and risk equations in linking weight loss in adolescents to long-term outcomes.
'As such, there are significant limitations in estimating the cost-effectiveness in this patient population, utility estimates that adequately capture the full impact on their quality of life, and not enough data to support an economic model that meets the Nice reference case.
'At this time, Novo Nordisk does not intend to make an evidence submission for the appraisal of semaglutide and liraglutide for managing overweight and obesity in young people aged 12 to 17 for the use in the NHS.
'We will continue to evaluate our evidence package in consideration of supporting any potential future submission for this patient group.'

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Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. But she also stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer was obesity - meaning that on the whole, weight loss jabs can cut the risk of disease. 'These drugs reduce the risk of cancer,' Prof Mukherjee said. 'But if they are prescribed to a woman who's on oestrogen through the skin, and she might already have womb thickening because she's living with obesity, and she's not absorbing the progesterone because she's been put on a weight-loss injection, she's potentially getting loads of oestrogen on top of her thickened womb lining, and that could potentially unmask cancers that are there or drive an early cancer to a more advanced stage.' The BMS put together the guidelines after calls from GPs for advice to give to patients. Dr Janet Barter, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, told The Telegraph that weight loss jabs can cause side effects such as "vomiting and severe diarrhoea in some patients'. 'Obviously this could render any medication, such as HRT tablets or oral contraception, ineffective if there hasn't been enough time for them to be fully absorbed,' she said. 'If these side-effects are occurring, then people should discuss the matter with their doctor or specialist clinician to find the combination of drugs that's right for them.' Sun Health has contacted Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly - the makers of Wegovy and Mounjaro - for comment. It follows warnings from the Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) that GLP-1 weight loss drugs could reduce the absorption of contraceptives, due to the fact they slow down the emptying of the stomach. The watchdog also said the jabs should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive or breastfeeding, over fears they could lead to miscarriage or birth defects. medicine could cause harm to the baby.' Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: 'It's not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman's hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again. 'Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.'

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