Pharmacotherapy Management of Obesity in Children

Abstract

<p>Obesity is a common, chronic, and complex disease that is associated with serious health and mental consequences if not treated1 . It is a complex interplay of genetic, physiological, socio-economic, and environmental factors. In the World Obesity Federation’s World Obesity Atlas 20232 , it expects that 25 % to be obese by 2035, and the rate of childhood obesity will more than double from 2020. Over the past decades, intensive lifestyle modification has been the focus in treating obesity in children and adolescents. Yet, there are a lot of constraints for it to be effective. Together with the lockdown measures such as school and sports facilities closure during the Covid pandemic, the situation of childhood obesity worsened. In view of the rapid rise in the rate of childhood obesity and the refractory nature of obesity, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a Clinical Practice Guideline for the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents with obesity3 . It is the very first clinical guideline to address the specific treatment of childhood obesity, aiming to tackle childhood obesity aggressively. One of the revolutionary moves includes the recommendations for anti-obesity medication in children with obesity as an adjunct to intensive lifestyle modification. The four FDA-approved anti-obesity medications for children ages 12 and above with obesity (BMI ≥ 95th percentile) are as follows:<br></p>