The Track Record of Weight Loss Drugs for Teens is Fraught by Doubt
Events publication:
BROWNSVILLESeptember 17, 2028
Dr. Edward Lewis, a pediatrician in Rochester, N.Y., has seen hundreds of children with obesity come through his practice over the years. He now believes that he has found a treatment for this medical condition, the powerful weight loss drug Wegovy, but this presence doesn’t translate to a prescription. Most pediatricians, Dr. Lewis included, are hesitant to prescribe it, particularly to young people due to fears surrounding the long-term outcomes of the drug.
Regulators and most medical groups state that the drug is appropriate for children as young as 12, yet many pediatricians remain skeptical. The cause for this hesitation is a lack of knowledge on the long-term effects of drugs and prevailing previous cases where problems emerged several years after a drug was initially approved.
22% of adolescents aged 12 to 19 suffer from obesity. It’s been determined that the majority are unlikely to overcome their condition, despite the advice they are given to diet and exercise. Experts in the field posit that obesity is more than a lack of willpower and is, in actuality, a chronic disease characterized by an overwhelming desire to eat.
Particular concern arises around the 6% of children and adolescents with severe obesity, which is defined as having a body mass index at or above 120% of the 95th percentile for height and weight. These severe obesity cases are said to have a “severe course,” resulting in teenagers developing health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney failure, and eye damage at a much earlier stage than adults similarly affected.
The American Academy of Pediatrics did recommend weight loss drugs like Wegovy for adolescents earlier this year, following FDA approval for that age group. But pediatricians are still worried about the drug’s long-term safety and continue to face significant obstacles in their attempts to use these drugs.
Common obstacles include dearth of long-term data on safety, and that health insurers have heavy restrictions on the use of these drugs, which has led to severe and continued drug shortages.
Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk, reduces appetite and food cravings in its consumers. However, both pediatricians and their patients are facing issues with health insurance, as Medicaid, which the majority of these teenagers are on, does not cover the drug. It’s not just adolescents who are affected by this issue, as there are fewer adults insured through Medicaid who are similarly affected, but at a much lower scale.
The conversation surrounding the effectiveness of this drug may not be helping either. Some doctors are struggling with the balanced message that they need to present to their patients, trying to redirect the conversation to focus on the adolescent’s health while dealing with the subject of taking a weight loss medication.
The fact remains that adolescents with obesity have fewer places to turn, due to the lack of specialist clinics for obesity and confusion around which specialists adolescents should be referred to.
There are no significant safety problems arising from adolescents using Wegovy – nausea and vomiting are the main side effects, similar to what’s observed in adult users. Yet, the issue still remains that both pediatricians and their patients are unable to routinely access the drug.
Overall, this drug is a potential breakthrough, and many agree that adolescents require this type of medical intervention. What remains required are specific clinical guidelines, without insurance roadblocks, and a way to address the dearth of long-term data that complicates decisions for these patients.
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[Written By Tanya Lewis; Adapted]
Source: Ella Anderson