Adolescents receiving liraglutide alongside health behavior and lifestyle therapy showed an 18.5-fold increase in treatment continuation compared to medication alone, with those persisting achieving a 6.7% BMI reduction versus 0.7% in discontinuers. Among 51 participants aged 8-18, only 37% achieved clinically meaningful 5% weight loss, while one-third stopped treatment due to gastrointestinal side effects.
These findings highlight a critical gap in pediatric obesity management that extends beyond pharmaceutical intervention. While GLP-1 receptor agonists have transformed adult weight management, their application in adolescents remains challenging due to higher discontinuation rates and developing metabolic systems. The dramatic adherence improvement with behavioral support suggests these medications require comprehensive lifestyle frameworks to be effective in younger populations. However, the modest overall success rates—with only 14% achieving 10% weight loss—underscore that even combined approaches face limitations in pediatric obesity. This real-world evidence supports integrated treatment models but also reveals that adolescent obesity remains a formidable clinical challenge requiring continued innovation beyond current pharmacological approaches.