Liraglutide for Weight Loss in Adolescents: Is it Effective?

Liraglutide, used in combination with lifestyle therapy, is associated with significantly greater reductions in body mass index (BMI) in obese adolescents, according to the results of a recent study.

To examine the effectiveness of liraglutide in pediatric patients, a population with limited treatment options for obesity, the researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind trial involving adolescents aged 12 to <18 years with obesity who had had poor response to lifestyle therapy alone. They were randomly assigned to receive either liraglutide (3.0 mg) or placebo once daily.

Overall, liraglutide was shown to be associated with a change from baseline in BMI standard-deviation score at week 56 compared with placebo (estimated difference, −0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], −0.37 to −0.08; P=0.002). A BMI reduction of 5% or more was observed in 51 of 113 participants in the liraglutide group and 20 of 105 participants in the placebo group.

Gastrointestinal adverse events occurred in more liraglutide group participants than in placebo group participants (81 and 46, respectively), with adverse effects leading to discontinuation in 13 and 0 participants, respectively.

“In adolescents with obesity, the use of liraglutide (3.0 mg) plus lifestyle therapy led to a significantly greater reduction in the BMI standard-deviation score than placebo plus lifestyle therapy,” the authors concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:
Kelly AS, Auerbach P, Barrientos-Perez M, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of liraglutide for adolescents with obesity [published online March 31, 2020]. NEJM. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1916038