UK health authorities rule out link between Ozempic and suspected fatal side effect in key analysis

Health authorities have determined that successful weight loss vaccines do not increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

Last July, the UK medicines regulator launched an urgent safety review into Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda and other similar drugs to investigate the possible connection.

The investigation was launched following reports of more than a dozen patients who experienced thoughts of self-harm and suicide after taking the injections.

Suicidal thoughts are already listed as a possible outcome in drug package inserts, but some activists have called for clearer warnings.

However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which oversees the safety of medicines in the UK, said today that the data “does not support a causal link”.

Researchers in three countries have suggested that taking antidepressants and medications such as Ozempic may lead to suicidal thoughts or actions based on drug interactions

It was added: ‘Therefore, no product information updates are required at this time.

‘The MHRA will continue to closely monitor the risk of serious psychiatric reactions associated with these receptor agonists and will review new data as they become available.’

Semaglutide and liraglutide – the powerful ingredients behind Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda – have ushered in a new era of obesity treatment.

The drugs, favored by Hollywood stars, promote weight loss by mimicking the action of a hormone released in the gut after eating, called GLP-1.

The GLP-1 hormone not only tells the pancreas to produce more insulin, it also sends feedback to the brain and makes users feel full.

Semaglutide and liraglutide can prevent users from overeating.

But it also has side effects: users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea after taking the drug.

Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda are all produced by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.

Last July, the MHRA reported that the investigation, which also looked at the risk of depression, had been launched after receiving five reports of patients taking semaglutide having thoughts of suicide or harming themselves after taking the drug.

Since 2010, 12 reports of these side effects have also been received in patients taking liraglutide.

A large study last month also suggested that taking weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic along with antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide.

Researchers in New York, Switzerland and Italy searched a World Health Organization database for reports of suicidal thoughts among people taking the drugs in more than 140 countries.

They found 107 cases of suicidal or self-harm thoughts or actions in those taking semaglutide and 162 in those taking liraglutide, suggesting a harmful interaction between the weight-loss drugs and antidepressants.

However, experts criticized the study at the time for its “weak evidence” and “major limitations” based on “spontaneous reports” of interactions between GLP-1 drugs and antidepressants.

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the production of the hormone GLP-1, which helps the body keep full

They also cautioned that the number of reports linked to both drugs was too small to establish a link.

Semaglutide has been available through the NHS in the UK since 2019 and in the US since 2017 for people with type 2 diabetes. manage blood sugar levels.

In 2022, another semaglutide drug was also approved for weight loss in the UK, and in 2021 in the US under the brand name Wegovy.

Like any medicine, it can cause side effects that vary in frequency and severity.

Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headache, and dizziness.

Some patients have also reported strange symptoms, such as hair loss.

The latest NHS data shows that 26 per cent of adults in England are obese, and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese. In the US, an estimated 41.9 per cent of the adult population are obese.

While the shots are designed to help overweight people become healthier, there are also growing concerns about the number of healthy-weight patients taking the shots for cosmetic reasons.

Some even had to go to the emergency room after getting vaccinated to get “beach body ready.”