Give Teens New 'Game Changing Weight-Loss Jab To Halt Obesity

SCIENTISTS are calling for the NHS to offer teens a "game-changing" weight-loss jab after trials showed it reversed obesity in almost half of cases.

- Martin Bagot

"Historically unprecedented" weight loss was achieved in obese 12 to 17-year-olds given a weekly injection of semaglutide, which suppresses appetite.

The US trial saw 45 per cent of adolescents lose enough weight to drop below the clinical cutoff for obesity 17 months later.

British scientists want the NHS to follow US regulators in giving emergency approval of the drug for dangerously overweight teens.

Lead author Dr Aaron Kelly, from University of Minnesota, said the earlier it was available on the NHS, "the better".

He added: "For many children who are able to get access [to semaglutide] it can be life-changing.

"We see that semaglutide reduced weight to a level below what is defined as clinical obesity in nearly 50 per cent of the teens, which is historically unprecedented with treatments other than bariatric surgery."