Nearly 200 deaths linked to weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro in the UK

TOI Correspondent from London: There have been nearly 200 deaths linked to the use of anti-obesity drugs Mounjaro and Wegovy in the UK, as well as over 150,000 reports of adverse side effects.Figures published by the UK medicines regulator the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show thousands of reports have been made about all of the GLP-1 weight-loss drugs available through the NHS.According to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme, which allows healthcare professionals, the public, and pharmaceutical companies to report the side-effects of drugs, there have been 59 deaths linked to semaglutide, which is known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.

Eleven of these deaths were cardiac disorders.The MHRA, however, pointed out that a reported reaction or a fatal outcome does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the medicine, only that the reporter has a suspicion it may have been. Underlying or previously undiagnosed illness unrelated to the medicine can also be factors in such reports.

An MHRA spokesperson said: “We want to reassure patients that GLP-1 medicines are safe for the majority of users. It is important to place these reports in the context of the millions of GLP-1 prescriptions issued in the UK.”There have also been 48,148 adverse reactions to the drug, the majority of which were gastrointestinal disorders.

Of these, 5,628 were reports of serious adverse reactions, of which 1,088 were psychiatric disorders.There have been 120 deaths reported for tirzepatide, also known as Mounjaro. Of these, 33 deaths were caused by gastrointestinal disorders.There have also been 106,309 reports of adverse reactions for tirzepatide, of which 11,554 patients suffered serious side effects, including cardiac disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, poisoning, nervous system and psychiatric disorders.Thirty-seven deaths have been linked to liraglutide, also known as Saxanda, the majority related to benign and malignant neoplasms, and cardiac disorders.

A further 4,528 adverse reactions, of which 1,119 were serious, have been reported to the Yellow Card Scheme.Caroline Savage (73) from Norfolk died in Oct 2024 after her Mounjaro dose was increased, an inquest heard this week, whilst GLP-1 agonist weight loss medication was a contributing factor in the death of Paula Owen, 66, senior Devon and Plymouth coroner Philip Spinney ruled last week.Catch the latest World News and Live updates.

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