Obesity Canada recommends Ozempic, diet drugs for KIDS in new guidelines

This is the first major update to national clinical guidelines for childhood obesity in nearly 20 years. The recommendations say that weight alone shouldn't be the focus — and now include drug options like GLP-1 medications for adolescents who haven’t had success with diet and exercise.

According to Global News, “GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been approved by Health Canada for adolescents aged 12 and up who have obesity and who haven’t succeeded in weight loss with diet and exercise alone. However, the medication has not been approved for younger children.”

The guidelines include 10 recommendations and nine good practice statements. Obesity Canada said the approach should be personalized and include “behavioural, pharmacological, and surgical interventions.”

“Obesity is a complex, chronic disease, and managing it effectively requires a personalized, evidence-based approach. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but research supports three key pillars of obesity management: behavioural, pharmacological, and surgical interventions,” the group claims. “Explore your options and work with your healthcare provider to determine the best approach for your needs.”

Lisa Schaffer, executive director of Obesity Canada, said that the science has changed. “Our basic understanding of what this disease fundamentally is, which is actually more of a disease of the brain than anything, [has changed]. So we need to start to recognize obesity for its true complexities and see it as that chronic disease and earlier for people and try and get ahead of it,” Schaffer said.

“And that’s really why we wanted to get the clinical practice guidelines for pediatric obesity updated.”

The guidelines say obesity increases the risk of more than 200 health conditions. It’s also becoming more common in children.

In Canada, about 25 percent of kids aged 4 to 11 and 33 percent of those aged 12 to 17 have a body mass index (BMI) that could mean they are overweight or obese. More than half of children with obesity between ages 7 and 11 continue to live with it into their teen years. Schaffer said about 80 percent of those teens will still be dealing with obesity in adulthood.

Obesity Canada also said that in some cases, medications can be “an essential part of a comprehensive management plan.” The group says drugs approved by Health Canada “can help manage obesity by regulating appetite, metabolism, and cravings.” They say these drugs are often used with behavioral therapy for long-term results.

“These medications can help with improving obesity related health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular health and high cholesterol, as examples. It is important to note that the benefits of obesity medications on specific obesity-related health conditions are specific to each medication and should be discussed with a prescriber.”