Weight loss shots should be given to obese children from the age of 12, says one of the world’s leading doctors

An expert has claimed there is “growing evidence” that weight loss drugs such as Ozempic can be effective in treating severely obese teenagers.

Professor Louise Baur, president of the World Obesity Federation, said the drug works “in exactly the same way” in younger patients as it does in adults and in extreme cases “may be justified” for children even as young as 12 years old.

Professor Baur is also an obesity pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the University of Sydney in Australia.

Speaking at the International Congress on Obesity in Sao Paolo, Brazil, she said: ‘Obesity among the youngest in our society is becoming increasingly common.

‘Using the latest generation of anti-obesity medications could be a less invasive option for adolescents with severe obesity.’

Professor Louise Baur suggested that weight loss drugs such as Ozempic could treat obese teenagers in the same way as adults.

The president of the World Obesity Federation said the drug “may be justified” in extreme cases for children even younger than 12 years old

Professor Baur added that ‘obesity at all ages is not an acute disease that, once treated, is always curable’. He added that any use of slimming drugs should be combined with lifestyle changes.

The rise of medications such as Wegovy and Ozempic has led to a surge of interest in the medical industry, as these medications are effective in promoting weight loss, but also have other side effects – positive and negative.

She continued: ‘Several recent studies have shown that these new drugs, such as semaglutide, work exactly the same in adolescents as they do in adults, and that the safety profile is similar.

‘One of the ways semaglutide works is by acting on the appetite centers in the brain, promoting a feeling of satiety, reducing hunger and encouraging a decrease in food consumption.’

Semaglutide – sold under the brand names Wegovy, Ozempic and Rybelsus – is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, a family of medications that help control blood sugar levels.

Wegovy is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) to help obese adults lose weight.

Last year, NHS England revealed that hospital admissions of obese under-17s had tripled in the previous decade, from 3,370 in 2011/12 to 9,431 in 2021/2022.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity rates among teenagers worldwide have quadrupled since 1990.

Figures released in March showed that there were more than 390 million overweight young people aged five to 19 in 2022, including 160 million classified as obese.

Prof Baur added: ‘There is a growing evidence base for some anti-obesity drugs in adolescents – however, there is no evidence yet for use in younger children under 12 years of age, but use may be justified in younger children with more severe obesity.’

However, she warned that “in all cases” weight-loss drugs should be combined with lifestyle changes.

“Our experience with adults clearly shows that long-term use is very likely to be necessary, but more evidence is needed,” she said.

‘More evidence is also needed for the use of these medications in adolescents as maintenance therapy, as pre-treatment before surgery, as treatment after surgery, as combination therapy and for the use of medications in combination with other obesity treatments.

“But as we found in adults, the cost and availability of these drugs in every country is a major barrier.”