Weight loss drug could curb childhood obesity

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While weight-loss drugs are nothing new, it's not often you hear of children taking them. However, studies and research from the New England Journal of Medicine show that children as young as six years old may be among those prescribed the weight-loss drug.

This may be the first time that overweight children ages 6 to 11 in the United States will receive additional help in controlling a healthy weight.

“I believe that weight-loss drugs serve a purpose, but of course, ideally, we should change our environment so that children do not become morbidly obese in the first place,” says Dr. Ana Maria Paez, director of the Division of Endocrinology at Driscoll University.

Due to different eating habits, children often find it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“Many of our children in our community, for example here in South Texas, suffer from severe food insecurity,” Paez said.

She also said that weight gain in children is greatest in the summer.

“In the summer, we see that many of these children gain weight because they have limited access to healthy food,” says Paez.

Since 20 percent of adolescents between the ages of 6 and 11 in the United States are obese, many companies are beginning to focus on this age group.

“Saxenda [a brand of liraglutide]that has gone through some testing,” said Dr. Eric Baggerman of the Amistad Community Health Center. “They will now seek approval from the FDA and similar organizations and other countries to have it approved for use in children.”

The drug can currently be prescribed to patients aged 12 and over, but if approved, children as young as six could take it.

“As these drugs come onto the market, we must not lose sight of the fact that proper nutrition, proper sleep and exercise are important for many reasons and we do not want to lose that importance,” he said.

When children are over their expected weight, they are more prone to chronic diseases such as diabetes. However, even with a weight loss medication, the most effective results are achieved when the individual does their part.

“As you will see with all of these medications, a healthy diet and lifestyle are prerequisites to their effectiveness,” Baggerman said.