A weight loss drug prescribed to adults to treat obesity has been found to be safe and effective in children as young as six, a study has found.
Liraglutide, which is sold under the brand name Saxenda, helped children between the ages of 6 and under 12 reduce their body mass index (BMI) by 7.4 per cent in a 56-week trial.
Children taking the medicine also experienced improvements in blood pressure and blood glucose control compared with those who got a placebo.
Around one in every five children aged 10 to 11 is living with obesity in the UK, which experts say will lead to future pressure on the NHS.
There is currently no medication approved for the treatment of obesity in children under 12.
Saxenda is part of a group of highly effective new weight loss medicines called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which include Ozempic and Wegovy. The drugs help to curb appetite as well as reduce blood sugar.
The trial included 82 children with an average BMI of 31 who received either a daily injection of liraglutide or a placebo for 56 weeks.
Almost half of the children who received liraglutide (46.2 per cent) saw a reduction in BMI of at least 5 per cent, compared with just 8.7 per cent for those who received a placebo.
Lead researcher Professor Claudia Fox, from the University of Minnesota Medical School, said: “To date, children have had virtually no options for treating obesity. They have been told to ‘try harder’ with diet and exercise.
“Now with the possibility of a medication that addresses the underlying physiology of obesity, there is hope that children living with obesity can live healthier, more productive lives.”
