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Published on: May 30, 2025

Real-World Use of Subsidised Semaglutide in Icelandic Children With Obesity: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Sigrun Thorsteinsdottir1,2, Berglind Jonsdottir2,3, Anna S Olafsdottir1,2,4

  • 1Faculty of Health Promotion, Sport and Leisure Studies, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Pediatric Obesity
|August 3, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Subsidised semaglutide reversed upward weight trajectories in children with obesity. Neurodevelopmental disorder status did not significantly alter treatment response, suggesting broad applicability of this obesity medication.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Obesity Medicine
  • Real-World Evidence Studies

Background:

  • Limited real-world data exists for subsidised semaglutide use in pediatric obesity.
  • Understanding treatment outcomes across diverse settings is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate clinical outcomes (%IOTF30 change) in Icelandic children prescribed subsidised semaglutide.
  • To compare outcomes across different treatment settings.
  • To examine semaglutide's effect on children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders (ND).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective, population-based cohort study.
  • Utilized longitudinal anthropometric data from March 2021 to June 2025.
  • Included children aged 12+ with grade 2 obesity eligible for universal reimbursement.

Main Results:

  • Semaglutide reversed the upward weight trajectory, with an estimated reduction of 10.33 pp %IOTF30 at 12 months.
  • 63% of participants achieved over 10 pp %IOTF30 reduction.
  • No significant modification of treatment response was observed based on ND status (p=0.83).

Conclusions:

  • Subsidised semaglutide effectively reversed weight gain trends in children with obesity.
  • The universal subsidy policy facilitated high treatment persistence.
  • Findings may inform international reimbursement policies, though generalisability requires caution.
Abstract

Keywords:
%IOTF30BMIGLP‐1glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonistneurodevelopmental disorderspaediatricpaediatric obesitysemaglutidesubsidisationuniversal subsidisation

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