Are weight-loss drugs like semaglutide safe for kids?

There hasn’t been enough time to evaluate the long-term effects of current popular weight-loss drugs on children and adolescents as the medications haven’t been on the market for long enough yet. — TNS

Weight-loss drugs such as semaglutide are increasingly popular among adults, who have flocked to the new medication as an alternative to the traditional – and often ineffective (in implementation by the patient) – advice to “eat less and exercise more”.

As of this summer (2024), about 12% of American adults reported that they had been on a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drug for either weight loss or treatment of another condition, according to a poll by US newsroom KFF Health News.