GPs’ diet-over-drugs warning as Ozempic use in kids jumps 1000 per cent

The number of Queensland children injecting Ozempic to manage diabetes has risen ten-fold, sparking concerns the drug and others similar are being used to control weight.

Dr Ginni Mansberg said patients could regain weight when they stopped using injections.

The number of Queensland children injecting prescription drug Ozempic to manage diabetes has risen ten-fold, with expert surging families to consider lifestyle and diet before the jab as the nation grapples with the disease’s epidemic.

The latest figures from regulatory authority, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, show that in Queensland the number of people aged 12-18 using Ozempic rose from 30 to 348 between 2021 and 2024.

The data has fuelled concerns that more children were using controlled semaglutide drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and other controlled injectables like Mounjaro, off-label to control weight.

Ozempic was not approved for weight loss, but Mounjaro and Wegovy were cleared for fat-loss use in limited cases.

The spike in kids taking Ozempic has concerned doctors.

Mounjaro and Wegovy are prescribed “as an adjunct to a reduced-energy diet and increased physical activity” when certain TGA criteria are met.

Experts also agree that medical supervision is necessary at all times.

Diabetes Australia chief medical officer Professor David Simmons said the increase in children using Ozempic was a reflection of an epidemic amid poor diets.

“In this environment where it is very easy to have food which is energy dense and not realise just how energy dense it is, it becomes an area where Type 2 diabetes is just increasing at the front end,” Professor Simmons said.

Professor Simmons said those with diabetes needed to also work on lifestyle factors, and not just use medication.

“While it is terrific that we have got these drugs to help manage it … you need to look carefully at healthy nutrition, physical behaviours and weight management,” he said.

General Practioner Ginni Mansberg said patients could regain weight when they stopped using semaglutide injections if the drug was not in their overall weight loss strategy.

“It’s worrying now that there are so many kids with diabetes that it is so badly controlled. They have failed two mainstream medications and lifestyle and are having to resort to injections,” she said.

Queensland AMA President Dr Nick Yim. Picture: Glenn Campbell

RACGP diabetes chair and GP Dr Gary Deed said there was a lack of research on semaglutide drugs being used for weight loss in children.

“The Ozempic semaglutide was never actively studied in the treatment of diabetes in large numbers in children,” Dr Deed said. “It is a concern because it would be considered off-label to use for children.”

AMAQ President Dr Nick Yim said new treatments were effective and can be an option for children if used appropriately with lifestyle modification and medical supervision.

Originally published as GPs’ diet-over-drugs warning as Ozempic use in kids jumps 1000 per cent