GLP-1 receptor agonists for the treatment of obesity in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists were recently approved for obesity treatment in children 12-17 years by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). However, their effectiveness in younger pediatric patients remains uncertain. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing GLP-1 receptor agonists versus. placebo in children and adolescents. Continuous outcomes were computed with mean differences (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with random-effect models. Results: This meta-analysis included 11 RCTs with 1024 patients with obesity, aged from 6 to 19 years old. Compared with placebo, GLP-1 agonists significantly decreased body weight (MD -4.32 kg; 95% CI -7.02 to -1.63 kg; p < 0.01), BMI z-score (MD -0.28; 95% CI -0.45 to -0.1; p < 0.01) and waist circumference (MD -3.84 cm; 95% CI -6.97 to -0.70 cm; p = 0.02) in this population. An analysis of patients