Get ready for Ozem-kids!
The pharmaceutical companies behind Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy — which have exploded in popularity with adults looking to lose weight — are testing whether the drugs are safe for children.
Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, said it is planning to give the anti-diabetes meds to kids as young as six years old, according to Bloomberg News.
The drug giant began recruiting children 12 and up this week for a clinical trial, according to the report.
Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk is also in the midst of clinical trials for its drug Saxenda, which is an older and less potent version of Ozempic and Wegovy, in children at least six years of age, Bloomberg News reported.
The Post has sought comment from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
“We are certainly committed to innovation in this space that’s going to address all segments of the population that’s affected,” an Eli Lilly spokesperson told Bloomberg.
In August, Novo’s head of development, Martin Holst Lange, told Bloomberg that the company was planning trials involving children in the “not-so-distant future.”
The Food and Drug Administration and health regulators in Europe have only approved the drugs, which are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, for use in people ages 12 and up.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five children ages six and up suffer from obesity.
Novo Nordisk is expected to report that sales of Ozempic generated $3.32 billion in revenue in the third quarter while Wegovy sold $1.07 billion, according to analysts surveyed by FactSet.
Their projections were reported by Barron’s.
Novo and Lilly posted the largest year-over-year revenue growth increases in the second quarter on the strength of the sales of Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.
Sales of Ozempic generated revenue of $3.2 billion in the second quarter — up from $2.1 billion during the same period in 2022.
Lilly’s Mounjaro generated $980 million in sales for the company during the second quarter — a 72% increase compared to the first quarter.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimated that GLP-1 drugs will generate $100 billion by 2030 — though that number does not factor in the potential use by children, who would likely take the medication for a longer period of time than adults.
While drugs like Ozempic have been known to trigger weight loss, some users report other less pleasant side effects.
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