Bagsværd-based Novo Nordisk has announced the first results from STEP Young, evaluating once-weekly semaglutide combined with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity in children aged 6 to under 12 with obesity. More than 85% of the 165 children enrolled had class II or III severe obesity at baseline, yet the trial met its primary endpoint: two out of five children on semaglutide brought their BMI down to a normal-weight or overweight classification, versus none on placebo.

“Most of the children in the STEP Young trial were classified as having severe obesity at baseline, yet treatment with semaglutide resulted in a BMI percentile category below the obesity threshold in approximately 40% of the children within about a year of treatment,” says Ania M. Jastreboff, professor of medicine and pediatrics at Yale and director of the Yale Obesity Research Center.

“As a pioneer in pediatric obesity medicine, we are encouraged by the positive STEP Young results and semaglutide’s potential to help children living with obesity who need medical treatment, alongside lifestyle changes, to better manage their obesity,” says Martin Holst Lange, chief scientific officer at Novo Nordisk.

Safety and tolerability were consistent with previous pediatric and adult trials of semaglutide and liraglutide, with no new concerns identified, including for growth or pubertal development. Detailed results will be presented at ObesityWeek 2026 in Washington, DC, November 14–17.