GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) prescribing among U.S. children ages 8 to 11 with obesity increased 310-fold between 2019 and 2026, although overall use remained uncommon. A new study in Pediatrics found that prescribing was concentrated among children with severe obesity and obesity-related comorbidities. Researchers from NYU analyzed annual cohorts from the Epic Cosmos electronic health record database, which includes data from more than 300 million U.S. patients.

The analysis included 3,520,531 children ages 8 to 11 with obesity but without diabetes from January 2019 through June 2026. The GLP-1 RAs evaluated were liraglutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide. Across the study period, 0.6% of children received a GLP-1 RA prescription. Annual prescribing increased from 0.03% in 2019 to 9.3% in 2026 , a 310-fold rise. Because the increase started from a very low baseline, the finding…