Hundreds of children in England prescribed weight-loss jabs, figures show
Summary
In England, 419 community prescriptions for GLP-1 medicines were issued to people under 18 in the 2025–26 financial year, including 10 for children under 12. From April to July 2026, a further 341 prescriptions were issued to under-18s, including 15 for children under 12; specialists say treatment for children requires close monitoring and long-term support.Key Facts
- The figures cover prescriptions issued in England and dispensed in community settings, but exclude private prescriptions and prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and prisons.
- GLP-1 medicines were first developed to help manage blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes and are also used for weight loss.
- A private clinic has said that more than 200 children receive weight-loss injections through its service.
- England’s child measurement programme found obesity in 10.7% of reception-year children and 22.8% of year 6 children.
- The NHS began piloting Complications from Excess Weight clinics in 2021 for children aged two to 16 with severe obesity.
- NHS England said nearly 6,500 children had been referred to these clinics, including more than 400 under age four.
- The World Health Organization’s recent guidance says obesity medicines, including GLP-1s, should not be given to children under 10.
- A trial involving 165 children aged six to under 12 found that GLP-1 treatment may help young children with obesity.
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