An emerging drug to treat obesity is currently showing promising results when used to treat overweight adolescents, after successful trials in adults and subsequent approval by the US Food and Drug Administration last year.
It has also been shown that the treatment induces effects that improve some markers of cardiovascular health, according to what was published by the “New Atlas” website, citing “The New England Journal of Medicine”.
The drug in question was approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017, but it has also shown promising results in the field of weight loss.
The drug works by mimicking the chemical makeup of a hormone in the body that acts on the appetite-control center in the brain to reduce feelings of hunger, and a small 2017 study showed it led to weight loss in a group of 28 obese people.
This was followed by a trial of more than 2,000 obese people who received weekly injections of the drug and were placed on weight-loss programs with fewer calories and increased physical activity. In this group, the researchers observed an average weight loss of 15.3 kg, with a mean BMI decrease of 5.54%, along with reduced risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. Hence, the FDA approved the drug as a treatment for obesity in adults in June of last year.
As evidence continues to accumulate about anti-obesity benefits in adults, the effects on adolescents have remained unclear. So another study was conducted in 201 people aged 12-18 years who were overweight or obese, who were given weekly injections of either the reintroduced drug or a placebo and were simultaneously counseled on nutrition and physical activity.
After 68 weeks, 72.5% of participants lost at least 5% of their weight, compared to just 17% in the placebo group. The real drug group had a mean decrease of 16.1% in BMI, while the placebo group increased by 0.6% on average. The scientists also observed again an improvement in cardiovascular risk factors, including waist circumference, cholesterol and glycemic control.