Could children as young as six be prescribed Wegovy?

Wegovy is a powerful weight loss treatment. On average, users see a 15% reduction in body weight when they take the injectable along with a healthy diet and regular exercise.¹

That's great – if you're a teenager or an adult. Under current UK prescribing rules, Wegovy can only be offered to those aged 12 and over who are living with obesity.²

But what about younger patients? After all, childhood obesity remains a significant public health challenge. Government data show that 11% of four-to-five-year-olds and 22% of those aged 10 to 11 live with obesity. And if you combine overweight and obese categories, 38% of children leaving primary school are above a healthy weight baseline.³

Right now, there's a good reason not to offer these children Wegovy. We simply haven't known enough about Wegovy's effects on younger children to know whether it's safe.

But we're learning – and recent clinical trial results published by Novo Nordisk represent one of the biggest steps forward yet.

The STEP Young trial results

STEP Young is the latest in Novo Nordisk's landmark STEP series of clinical trials. Previously, the STEP trials have looked at the effects of Wegovy on obesity, type 2 diabetes and more – but always in adults.

But with STEP Young, researchers are looking specifically at weight loss in paediatric populations – those aged six to 11.

In total, 165 children took part in the study.⁴ These children were randomly assigned to receive Wegovy or a placebo (dummy drug), as well as lifestyle support.

At the time of writing, the core study phase has concluded, but Novo Nordisk is yet to publish detailed results.

However, the drugmaker has published topline results – and those look very positive.

After 68 weeks of treatment, 40.4% of those treated with Wegovy were no longer classified as living with obesity. In other words, two out of five children in the Wegovy group reached a healthy or overweight classification, compared to zero in the placebo group.⁴

The study also found the drug was well tolerated, with safety and side effects comparable to those seen in adult studies.⁴

Does this mean six-year-olds could be prescribed Wegovy?

While we don't yet know the full picture, these early results suggest Wegovy is a safe and effective weight loss treatment for younger children.

Step Young is due to be published later this year.⁴  But that doesn't mean six-year-olds will start receiving Wegovy within a few months.

That's because drug authorities, such as the UK's MHRA, must conduct their own assessments of trial data. There's no doubt they'll carefully review these results. However, it remains to be seen when – or if – Wegovy will be licensed for younger children in the UK.

Right now, the situation remains the same: younger children can access specialist weight loss support privately or via the NHS, but that doesn't include Wegovy. We'll be sure to let you know if that changes.

Semapen is an NHS-accredited provider of clinically supported weight loss treatments, including GLP-1 medications and very-low-calorie diets. Learn more about our weight loss app and the support you can expect during your programme.

Sources

1. Wilding, J.P.H. et al. (2021) "Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity" The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(11) https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183

2. Novo Nordisk (2026) Wegovy 0.25 mg, FlexTouch solution for injection in pre-filled pen: Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) [product information]. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Retrieved from https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/13799/smpc

3. Department of Health and Social Care (2025) National Child Measurement Programme annual report, academic year 2024 to 2025. Retrieved from https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/static-reports/obesity-physical-activity-nutrition/national-child-measurement-programme-2024-2025-academic-year.html

4. Novo Nordisk (2026) Novo Nordisk STEP Young phase 3 data: 40.4% of children living with obesity achieved a BMI below the obesity threshold with semaglutide and lifestyle modification [press release]. Retrieved from https://www.novonordisk.com/news-and-media/news-and-ir-materials/40-percent-of-children-achieved-BMI-below-obesity-threshold-with-semaglutide.html

This article was reviewed and approved by Lujain Alhassan, Bariatric Nutritionist, on 26 September 2026.