Pharmacological treatment of obesity in paediatric patients

The prevalence and severity of obesity appear to be increasing in the paediatric population. This has resulted in an increasing trend in outcomes related to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus. The current clinical approach to management of obesity in paediatric patients is behavioural therapy directed at changing diet and physical activity. While there are no pharmacological agents currently approved for the treatment of paediatric obesity, there is hope that agents approved for use in adults will prove useful in adolescents and children. Therapeutic trials are currently under way to evaluate some agents, e.g. orlistat and sibutramine. Controlled clinical trials are necessary to evaluate drugs for weight management in children and adolescents. It should not be assumed that the risks and benefits associated with these drugs are the same for children as for adults. It is also possible that as the understanding of the science of obesity advances, new agents will be developed which will have appropriate benefits and risks for use in children.