Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern that has been on the rise in recent years. Many children struggle to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through lifestyle interventions alone. In this context, the phase IIIa SCALE Kids trial examined the efficacy of adding liraglutide (Saxenda) to lifestyle intervention in young children with obesity.
Study Findings
The study, led by Claudia Fox, MD, from the University of Minnesota Medical School, found that children aged 6 to <12 years who were treated with once-daily 3-mg liraglutide lost 5.8% of BMI by week 56. This was in stark contrast to a 1.6% gain in BMI seen in children who underwent lifestyle intervention alone. The findings of the study were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) annual meeting in Madrid.
The results of the SCALE Kids trial offer hope for young children with severe obesity who have not been able to achieve significant weight loss through traditional methods. The addition of liraglutide to lifestyle intervention led to a substantial reduction in BMI, with nearly half of the children in the liraglutide group experiencing a reduction of at least 5% in BMI.
It is important to note that the sample size of the SCALE Kids trial was much smaller than that of adult trials. This raises concerns about the long-term safety and efficacy of liraglutide in this age group, as rare side effects may not have been fully observed with the limited number of participants in the study.
In addition to BMI reduction, liraglutide also showed positive effects on other secondary endpoints such as waist circumference, blood pressure, and HbA1c levels. However, gastrointestinal adverse events were more common in the liraglutide group, with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea being the most frequently reported side effects.
While the initial results of the SCALE Kids trial are promising, questions remain about the long-term effects of liraglutide on growth and puberty in young children. The ongoing 3-year, open-label extension phase of the trial aims to provide further insights into the safety and efficacy of liraglutide in this population.
The findings of the SCALE Kids trial suggest that liraglutide may be a valuable therapeutic option for young children with severe obesity who have failed to achieve meaningful weight loss through lifestyle interventions alone. However, further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects and safety profile of liraglutide in this vulnerable population.
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