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Use of semaglutide for weight loss among American teens is rising with new prescriptions increasing significantly, according to an analysis of 1.3 million electronic health records by Truveta and Reuters. The rate climbed from 9.9 prescriptions per 100,000 teens in 2023 to 14.8 in 2024. The average rate climbed further during the first 3 months of this year, reaching 17.3 new prescriptions per 100,000, according to Reuters. This growth also follows the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2023 recommendation to offer weight-loss drugs to children 12 and older with obesity who meet clinical criteria, although the academy acknowledges the new options also present new challenges for providers and patients. Overall, clinicians remain cautious about prescribing because not much is known about long-term safety of the relatively new glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) weight-loss drugs, especially for children and teens. Traditional methods like a healthy diet and increased exercise have shown limited success for teens, according to the report.
Upward trend with age: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that the obesity prevalence among children and adolescents is 19.7%, which amounts to about 14.7 million Americans aged 2-19 years. As children get older, the prevalence increases from 12.7% in the youngest group (2-5 years), rising to 20.7% (6-11 years), and 22.2% (12-19 years).
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