More than 400 children ‘given weight-loss jabs’ in 12 months, NHS data shows

• Hundreds of children under 18 in England, including some under 12, have been prescribed GLP-1 weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.
• NHS data obtained via Freedom of Information requests revealed 419 prescriptions were issued to under-18s in 2025/26, alongside 341 issued between April and July 2026 alone.
• Professor Martin Whyte of the University of Surrey warned that children starting GLP-1s require long-term lifestyle support and specialist monitoring for growth, mental health, and side effects.
• The surge in prescriptions coincides with rising childhood obesity rates in England, with Reception year obesity reaching non-pandemic record highs of 10.7 per cent.
• The National Child Measurement Programme data highlighted a stark health divide, showing obesity rates in deprived areas are more than double those in affluent regions.

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Hundreds of children ‘prescribed weight-loss jabs’, data shows