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Key points
Semaglutide (Wegovy) is now licensed for use in children aged ≥12 years with a body mass index (BMI) ≥95th centile and a body weight of above 60 kg, to be used in conjunction with dietary measures, increased physical activity and lifestyle changes.
Semaglutide (Wegovy) should not be used as a sole intervention but as an adjunct in a multicomponent therapy in the management of childhood obesity.
In practice, semaglutide (Wegovy) should be considered where non-pharmacological interventions have been consistently attempted but not been successful or weight loss has plateaued in a patient whose BMI remains elevated.
Patients and their families should be provided a holistic package to support the commencement of semaglutide (Wegovy). This should include education on potential side effects and important considerations (including psychological well-being, its time-limited use and maintenance of ongoing dietary and physical activity measures) on treatment.
In the UK, semaglutide (Wegovy) is currently used for a maximum of 2 years for weight management in children and within a specialist weight management service providing multidisciplinary management of obesity.
Introduction
Rates of childhood obesity continue to rise at an alarming level with more than one in five children leaving primary school obese.1 Childhood obesity is associated with significant comorbidity including type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, hypertension, anxiety and depression.2 Until recently, weight loss medications available routinely on the National Health Service (NHS) have only had a modest effect, often with poorly tolerated side effects.3 However, this has changed with the arrival of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. In 2023 semaglutide (brand name Wegovy) was licensed as a weight loss agent for children aged 12–18 years in the UK (having been licensed in the USA since 2022). Semaglutide works on central satiety pathways stimulating brain GLP-1 receptors to reduce hunger signals …
Footnotes
Contributors Manuscript was drafted by EVB with contributions from DL, EL, CD and reviewed by ND. The appendix was written by EL and CD. All authors contributed to conception and drafting of article and agreed to the final version of this document. EVB acts as the article guarantor.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
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