Novo Nordisk says semaglutide cut obesity rates in young children in trial
The phase 3 trial found semaglutide lowered BMI and met its primary endpoint, with safety consistent with adult and adolescent studies.
- On Monday, September 7, 2026, Novo Nordisk announced STEP Young phase 3 trial results showing 40.4% of children aged 6 to under 12 treated with semaglutide were no longer classified as having obesity after 68 weeks.
- The STEP Young trial enrolled 165 children aged 6 to under 12, evaluating once-weekly semaglutide in combination with reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity throughout the study period.
- At baseline, more than 85% of children had class II or III severe obesity, while none of those receiving placebo achieved obesity-free status compared to the 40.4% in the semaglutide group.
- Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange said Novo Nordisk is "encouraged by the positive STEP Young results" and semaglutide's potential to help children manage obesity alongside lifestyle changes.
- Childhood obesity affected 177 million children aged 5 to 19 in 2025, projected to rise to 228 million by 2040; meanwhile, GLP-1 prescriptions among United States children under 12 surged more than 300-fold since 2019.
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Novo Nordisk says semaglutide cut obesity rates in young children in trial
Novo Nordisk's anti-obesity drug, Wegovy, resulted in a weight loss of 40 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 12 in a clinical trial that meant they were no longer considered obese by the end of treatment, Bloomberg reports.
Wegovy, a drug for the treatment of the obesity of the pharmacist Novo Nordisk, helped two in five young children to lose weight enough to stop being classified as obese in a new study. Today, the drug is approved only from the age of 12. 'I feel as if I were 39': At 101, a woman surprised by the routine while working, driving and dancing 'They move there in Barrettos and see my intestine here in RO on a screen', says retired submitted to the 1s…
Worldwide, the number of obese children is increasing. Novo Nordisk now provides first study data on the effects of semaglutide in childhood.
Novo Nordisk STEP Young phase 3 data: 40.4% of children living with obesity achieved a BMI below the obesity threshold with semaglutide and lifestyle modification
STEP Young data show 40.4% of children treated with semaglutide and lifestyle modification were no longer classified as having obesity....
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