Current and forthcoming pharmacotherapies for adolescent obesity: Evidence-based review

The prevalence of adolescent obesity has increased substantially in recent decades. This disease affects more than 20% of young people. Obesity is associated with metabolic disorders and heart disease. Conservative treatments are not effective in severe obesity. Therefore, this minireview aims to compare and clarify the effectiveness of treatments. It also seeks to identify areas requiring attention to guide clinical practice and future research. A literature search was conducted in databases including PubMed and Scopus. The study focused on randomised trials and meta-analyses in patients aged 12 to 18 years and lasting more than 12 weeks. The results show an improvement induced by glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide. Semaglutide reduces body mass index by 16.1%. It is more effective than liraglutide in improving insulin sensitivity. The use of these drugs faces challenges, such as cost. There are also social inequalities that affect health equity. Although no short-term safety issues have been reported, there is still little information available on Tirzepatide and CagriSema in adolescents, compared to their known effect on adults. Therefore, we conclude that semaglutide is the current gold standard, but that there is an urgent need for longer-term studies, comparative evaluations, and safety trials that include paediatric cohorts in order to ensure safe access to pharmacological innovations.