Current options in obesity pharmacotherapy for children and adolescents

Abstract

Obesity is pervasive from infancy to adulthood and presents a major challenge to healthcare systems worldwide. In children and adolescents, the prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to increase, especially in classes II and III, and in younger toddlers and preschool-aged children. Childhood obesity may be associated with comorbidities in all organ systems and increased cardiovascular risk, as it tracks into adolescent and adult obesity. Although intensive health and behavior lifestyle treatments form the foundation of obesity treatment, there are limitations in the extent and maintenance of weight loss with lifestyle modifications alone. The offering of obesity pharmacotherapy in adjunct to intensive lifestyle treatment in children aged > 12 years may improve outcomes in pediatric obesity. In this review, we discuss currently approved medications for childhood and adolescent obesity, focusing on orlistat, phentermine monotherapy, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (liraglutide and semaglutide injections), and phentermine/topiramate combination.