Systematic review of influence of ethnicity on efficacy and safety of pharmacotherapy for childhood and adolescent obesity
Abstract
Childhood and adolescent obesity represent critical global health issues with a rising prevalence and associated cardiometabolic and psychosocial consequences. Pharmacotherapy has emerged as an adjunct treatment to lifestyle modifications in patients with severe obesity or a poor response to behavioral interventions. However, the ethnic and racial variations in drug efficacy and safety remain poorly understood. This systematic review aimed to determine whether ethnicity influences the efficacy and adverse effects of pharmacological treatments for pediatric obesity. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases for studies published between January 2000 and December 2024. Eligible randomized controlled trials included participants aged ≤18 years and reported ethnicity-specific outcomes for antiobesity pharmacotherapy. Of the 3,979 identified records, 4 randomized trials met the inclusion criteria and investigated liraglutide, metformin, phentermine/topiramate, and sibutramine. Across all studies, pharmacotherapy significantly reduced body mass index compared with placebo. This review provides a complete and clearly articulated conclusion reflecting these findings. However, consistent evidence is lacking of ethnicity-based differences in efficacy or safety. One trial suggested a possible trend of reduced responses among African American adolescents receiving sibutramine, although the findings were underpowered and…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Metformin as an adjuvant in breast cancer treatment
- Metformin Lysosomal Targeting: A Novel Aspect to Be Investigated for Metformin Repurposing in Neurodegenerative Diseases?
- Aberrant HSF1 signaling activation underlies metformin amelioration of myocardial infarction in mice
- Metformin induces ZFP36 by mTORC1 inhibition in cervical cancer-derived cell lines
- Protein Interaction Network for Identifying Vascular Response of Metformin (Oral Antidiabetic)
- Preventing Long COVID With Metformin
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.