STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about kids taking Wegovy, telehealth for abortion pills, and more
A small but rapidly growing number of U.S. adolescents began treatment with Novo Nordisk's Wegovy weight loss drug last year.
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up, but we expect to promenade with the official mascots, check in on the Pharmalot ancestors, and hold another listening party, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? Once again, this remains a grand time to enjoy the great indoors. So perhaps you can curl up with a good book or park yourself in front of the telly to binge-watch a series or two. This may also be an opportunity to spend time with someone special, or simply plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you on Tuesday, since we have an extended weekend on this side of the pond due to a holiday. …
A small but rapidly growing number of U.S. adolescents began treatment with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy weight loss drug last year, a powerful new tool to address record rates of pediatric obesity, Reuters writes. In the first 10 months of 2023, 1,268 children ages 12 to 17 with an obesity diagnosis started taking Wegovy, according to U.S. insurance claims data compiled by health technology company Komodo Health. In 2022, only 25 children were prescribed the drug, which did not receive U.S. approval for adolescent use until December of that year. A month later, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended weight loss drugs be offered to children with obesity starting at age 12.
Just a week after dropping the development of a treatment for blood cancers, Gilead Sciences has paused enrollment in clinical trials of the same drug in solid tumors, adding to concerns about its side effects, Pharmaphorum explains. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration followed the move with a request for a partial clinical hold on the trials, which comes after the regulator sought a full clinical hold on all studies in acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Gilead abandoned testing of the antibody in AML and MDS after data suggested that patients taking the drug in clinical trials were more likely to die than those in control groups.
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