Increasing Number of Children use GLP-1s for Weight Loss One in five U.S. Adolescent obesity rates are climbing, leading to severe health risks. The FDA approved GLP-1s for children over 12 and dispensing has increased. Questions about long-term effects of GLP-1s on children remain largely unanswered. Obesity is a growing concern across the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s reached an all-time high in children and adolescents. About 1 in 5 U.S. CDC. Experiencing obesity in childhood can lead to greater risks of adult obesity and other concerns like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and social and emotional struggles. The National Library of Medicine said weight loss is the best way to improve the consequences of chronic obesity. Calorie restriction with or without physical exercise is the traditional treatment, whereas bariatric surgery has proven to be the most effective treatment. GLP-1s were developed in the early 2010s and are now a third option for weight loss, but it seems people are increasingly reaching for them first, and users are getting younger and younger. In 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of liraglutide for obese children between ages 12 and 17, and it approved the use of semaglutide in 2022. To be prescribed the drug, patients must meet a specific body mass index and weight. Of the 1 in 5 obese adolescents in the U.S., fewer than 1% of them use a GLP-1, according to the CDC. But as prices of these drugs drop, that number is expected to increase. Deseret News reported that Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, has plans to reduce the U.S. 675 a month for patients with insurance compared to current prices of $1,000 to $1,349 a month. Because GLP-1s are such a new drug, the long-term effects, especially on developing children, are largely unknown. The drug is one that must be taken consistently to continue working.