Health
Novo Nordisk diabetes pill shows significant blood sugar reduction in children
Late-stage trial marks first oral GLP‑1 therapy to succeed in young patients
Type 2 diabetes, once considered a disease affecting primarily adults, is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people. About 364,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 in the United States are living with diagnosed diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Novo Nordisk’s oral GLP‑1 drug significantly lowered blood sugar levels in children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes, meeting the main goal of a late‑stage clinical trial, the drugmaker said on Thursday.
The Danish pharmaceutical company tested the pill in 132 patients aged 10 to 17 over a 26‑week period.
The study showed that patients taking the drug reduced their average blood sugar levels by 0.83 percentage points more than those given a placebo, a difference the company said was statistically significant.
The trial is the first to evaluate an oral GLP‑1 therapy — a class of drugs best known for blockbuster diabetes and weight‑loss treatments — in children and adolescents.
Type 2 diabetes, once considered a disease affecting primarily adults, is increasingly being diagnosed in younger people. About 364,000 children and adolescents under the age of 20 in the United States are living with diagnosed diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Treatment options for younger patients remain limited. Physicians typically rely on metformin or insulin, but metformin fails to adequately control blood sugar in roughly half of adolescent patients, while insulin carries risks such as low blood sugar and weight gain.
No oral GLP‑1 therapy has previously been approved for use in children or teenagers. Novo Nordisk’s pill could become the first.
The company said it plans to apply in the second half of 2026 for regulatory approval in the United States and the European Union to expand the label for its oral semaglutide drugs, Ozempic pill and Rybelsus.
Positive results in younger patients could also extend Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide franchise beyond adults and strengthen its competitive position against rivals such as Eli Lilly in diabetes and weight‑loss treatments.