7. Sep 2026
Description
(AWP Alliance News) - Novo Nordisk AS on Monday said a phase 3 trial of semaglutide in children with obesity met its primary endpoint, with around 40% of those treated no longer classified as having obesity after 68 weeks.
The Bagsvaerd, Denmark-based pharmaceutical company said its Step Young trial evaluated once-weekly semaglutide alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in 165 children aged six to under 12 with obesity.
The trial demonstrated a greater reduction in body mass index among children receiving semaglutide than among those receiving a placebo.
After 68 weeks, 40.4% of children treated with semaglutide had reduced their BMI to below the obesity threshold, compared with none receiving placebo. More than 85% of participants had class 2 or 3 severe obesity at the start of the trial.
Novo Nordisk said the safety and tolerability of semaglutide were consistent with previous trials in adults and adolescents, with no new safety concerns identified, including any related to growth or pubertal development.
Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange said: "We are encouraged by the positive Step Young results and semaglutide's potential to help children living with obesity who need medical treatment, alongside lifestyle changes, to better manage their obesity."
Detailed results will be presented at the ObesityWeek 2026 conference in Washington DC in November.
Shares in Novo Nordisk were down 0.1% at DKK298.70 in Copenhagen on Monday afternoon.
By Eva Castanedo, Alliance News senior economics reporter
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