Journal article : Review
Ethical considerations for semaglutide use in children
- Abstract:
-
Semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, has rapidly become one of the most prominent medications of recent years. Initially approved in 2021 for type 2 diabetes in adults, semaglutide is now authorized for obesity management in adults and children in several countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the United Arab Emirates. Despite this broad regulatory approval, its pediatric use remains a subject of debate. Advocates highlight its potential to reduce cardiovascular risk and prevent obesityrelated illness, while critics emphasize uncertainties about long-term safety, efficacy, and impacts on child development.
This paper examines the ethical challenges raised by prescribing semaglutide to children, focusing on access barriers, stigma, and the neglect of structural determinants of obesity, and provides ethical recommendations for clinicians aimed at mitigating harm, supporting autonomy, and promoting children’s health.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Access Document
- Files:
-
-
(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 108.3KB, Terms of use)
-
- Publisher copy:
- 10.1136/archdischild-2025-329747
Authors
+ Wellcome Trust
More from this funder
- Funder identifier:
- https://ror.org/029chgv08
- Grant:
- 226801/Z/22/Z
- Publisher:
- BMJ Publishing Group
- Journal:
- Archives of Disease in Childhood More from this journal
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-06
- Acceptance date:
- 2025-12-06
- DOI:
- EISSN:
-
1468-2044
- ISSN:
-
0003-9888
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Subtype:
-
Review
- Pubs id:
-
2349385
- Local pid:
-
pubs:2349385
- Deposit date:
-
2025-12-11
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Ryan et al
- Copyright date:
- 2026
- Rights statement:
- © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.
- Notes:
- The author accepted manuscript (AAM) of this paper has been made available under the University of Oxford's Open Access Publications Policy, and a CC BY public copyright licence has been applied.
- Licence:
- CC Attribution (CC BY)
If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record