Liraglutide for Weight Reduction in Obese Adolescents

Investigators from multiple institutions conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide analogue that increases postprandial insulin, reduces glucagon secretion, and delays gastric emptying, in adolescents with obesity. Children aged 12–17 years were enrolled at 32 sites in 5 countries (Belgium, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, and the United States). Children were eligible if they had a BMI ≥30, a weight change of <5 kg in the previous 90 days, and a poor response to lifestyle therapy alone. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention or placebo group. Intervention participants received 12 weeks of lifestyle therapy followed by 56 weeks of liraglutide subcutaneously at a dose of 0.6 mg once daily for …