Contemporary Pediatrics week in review: September 7-11, 2026

Review some of the top stories from the Contemporary Pediatrics website over the last week, and catch up on anything you may have missed.

Thank you for visiting the Contemporary Pediatrics® website. Take a look at some of our top stories from last week (Monday, September 7 to Friday, September 11, 2026) and click each link to read and watch anything you may have missed.

1.) CDC-backed surveillance finds 4 in 5 child deaths preventable across 7 high-mortality countries

A decade-long CDC-backed mortality surveillance effort, the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network, found that roughly 80% of stillbirths and deaths among children under 5 in seven high-mortality countries—Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and South Africa—were preventable or possibly preventable. Investigators identified 18,784 eligible deaths and conducted full investigations on 8,500 of them, with an 83% family consent rate; perinatal asphyxia or hypoxia was implicated in nearly 80% of stillbirths, while preterm complications, asphyxia, and sepsis were the leading causes of neonatal death.

The authors caution that the surveillance catchment areas were not nationally representative, that facility deaths were more likely to be captured than deaths in the community, and that preventability assessments reflect expert judgment rather than formal estimates of intervention impact.

2.) Vosoritide improves growth velocity in children with hypochondroplasia, phase 3 trial shows

A phase 3 trial in 81 children ages 3 to 18 across 23 sites in 9 countries found that vosoritide, a C-type natriuretic peptide analog already approved for achondroplasia, significantly improved growth in children with hypochondroplasia, a rare skeletal disorder that has lacked a targeted treatment. Annualized growth velocity rose 1.95 cm/year with vosoritide compared with a 0.39 cm/year decline on placebo, a 2.33 cm/year difference (P<.0001), and standing height improved 2.35 cm more than placebo over the 52-week study.

The researchers noted that the trial's duration does not allow conclusions about eventual adult height, and that children under 3 and those with milder short stature were excluded from the study.

3.) Semaglutide improves BMI category in children aged 6 to 11 years in phase 3 trial

Novo Nordisk reported phase 3 results showing that semaglutide helped younger children move out of the obesity BMI category: among 165 children ages 6 to 11 with obesity, more than 85% of whom had severe (class II or III) obesity at baseline, 40.4% of those on semaglutide had a BMI below the obesity threshold at 68 weeks, compared with none of the children on placebo. Both groups also received a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

The findings come from a company announcement rather than peer-reviewed data, and the article notes the primary endpoint's numerical results and detailed safety data were not disclosed; effects on long-term growth, puberty, and psychosocial health remain unknown, with full results expected at ObesityWeek 2026.

4.) Abbott launches first ready-to-feed whole milk infant formula in the U.S.

Abbott launched Similac 360 Total Care made with whole milk, describing it as the first commercially sterile, ready-to-feed liquid infant formula made with whole milk available in the United States. The formula contains five human milk oligosaccharides matching those found in breast milk and is manufactured at a U.S. Abbott facility; it debuted at Target and Amazon on September 7, with expansion to Walmart and other retailers planned in coming weeks.

Abbott says the product is priced comparably to its powdered Similac 360 Total Care line, despite liquid formulas typically costing more, and notes that commercial sterility—recommended by the FDA and CDC for infants under 2 months or those who are immunocompromised—involves an additional validated heat-treatment step.

5.) ARTEMIS trial data show Bifidobacterium-HMO synbiotic is safe and colonizes the infant, toddler gut

Persephone Biosciences published results from ARTEMIS, described as the largest U.S. randomized controlled trial of a synbiotic supplement in infants and toddlers. Among 114 participants (58 infants ages 2 to 12 months and 56 toddlers ages 12 to 24 months), a synbiotic containing four Bifidobacterium strains, four human milk oligosaccharides, and vitamin D showed no significant difference in adverse events or GI symptoms versus placebo, while colonization was detected in 72% of infants and 67% of toddlers after 4 weeks; an exploratory analysis also found a statistically significant improvement in toddler sleep quality.

The study authors flagged a relatively small sample size and reliance on parent-reported outcomes, and cautioned that the sleep finding was an exploratory endpoint warranting dedicated study rather than a primary outcome.