"Weight-loss drug" Semalutide could be used for teen weight loss, and also help heart health

This new study shows that Semaglutide, which has been approved for weight loss in obese or overweight adults, can also help adolescents lose weight and contribute to heart health!

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on November 2, 2022, showed that obese adolescents who used somaglutide once a week saw their body mass index (BMI) drop by 16.1%, compared to a 0.6% rise in the placebo group in this international Phase 3a clinical trial.

SomalutideSomalutide (Semaglutide), developed by Novo Nordisk, was originally developed for the treatment of diabetes and is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which mimics its effects by reducing hunger, eating less, and consuming fewer calories, and is therefore effective in weight loss.

In February 2021, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published the results of a large-scale global clinical trial showing that somatostatin was outstandingly effective as a weight-loss drug, with the experimental group that received 2.4 mg of somatostatin subcutaneously every week losing an average of 15.3 kilograms of body weight compared to the placebo group. Specifically, three-quarters of the people lost more than 10 percent of their body weight, and more than one-third lost more than 20 percent of their body weight, a "game-changing" weight-loss effect that is the first time a human being has achieved through a drug a weight-loss effect that could only be achieved through surgery.

The paper's author, Professor Silva Arslanian of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, says that obesity rates are rising all over the world, and usually we make recommendations such as eating more vegetables, not eating fried foods, and not drinking sodas. But unfortunately, we live in an environment that is so conducive to obesity that these recommendations are actually very difficult to implement. That's why we really need safe and effective medications to treat obesity.

To assess whether somatostatin is also effective in adolescents, the research team recruited 201 obese or overweight adolescents aged 12-18 years at multiple centers. Participants were divided in a 2:1 ratio into a somalutide group and a placebo group, and throughout the trial, the somalutide group received subcutaneous injections of 2.4 mg of somalutide once a week, and all received concurrent lifestyle interventions, namely a healthy nutritious diet and physical activity.

One hundred and eighty of the 201 participants completed the 68-week clinical trial, and at the end of the 68 weeks, BMI had decreased by an average of 16.1% in the somalutide group, compared to a 0.6% increase in the placebo group. Ninety-five of the 131 people (72.5%) in the somalutide group lost more than 5% of their body weight, while only 11 of the 62 people (18%) in the placebo group lost more than 5% of their body weight.

Somalutide was significantly superior to placebo in reducing body weight and improving cardiometabolic risk factors. Somalutide was higher than placebo in the incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events (62% vs. 42%). Serious adverse events occurred in 15 of 133 (11%) people in the somalutide group compared with 6 of 67 (9%) people in the placebo group.

Obesity affects nearly one in five children and adolescents worldwide. Moreover, obesity is associated with shorter life expectancy and an increased risk of developing serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, sleep apnea, and certain cancers. Obese teens are also more likely to experience depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and other psychological problems.

The results of this clinical trial showed improvements in cardiovascular risk factors in the somalutide group compared to the placebo group, including waist circumference, the blood glucose indicator HbA1c, total cholesterol, LDL and very LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and liver Enzymes. This suggests that their heart health also improved with somatostatin.

In addition, the somalutide group also performed better on weight-related quality of life indicators compared to the placebo group, largely due to improved body comfort scores. The research team said that this is the first weight loss drug associated with improved quality of life in adolescents.