Ozempic being investigated for link to suicidal thoughts

European drug safety regulators are investigating whether Ozempic and other popular diabetes and weight loss medications are linked to increases in suicidal thoughts in patients.

The European Medicines Agency’s drug safety panel is examining cases of suicidal and self-harm thoughts in two patients on Ozempic and one patient on a similar product, Saxenda. Both Saxenda and Ozempic are produced by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company.

The injectable drug Ozempic is shown Saturday, July 1, 2023, in Houston.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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Ozempic, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating insulin-dependent Type II diabetes, is used off-label as a weight loss medication. Both Ozempic and Wegovy, the name and dosage of the on-label weight loss product, contain the chemical semaglutide, which mimics the GLP-1 hormone that promotes insulin development.

The panel, which met last week, is considering whether to expand the inquiry into all GLP-1 drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Saxenda, among others.

Patients who are prescribed Ozempic or Wegovy for either diabetes or weight loss often do not stay consistent with their medication, in part because GLP-1 drugs function as appetite suppressants. Although this makes them successful for their intended health effects, the patient also loses the pleasure sensation of eating.

Jens Juul Hols, a scientist instrumental in the development of GLP-1 drugs, said in an interview with Wired in June that “once you’ve been on this for a year or two, life is so miserably boring that you can’t stand it any longer and you have to go back to your old life.”

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Novo Nordisk told CNBC that patient safety is a “top priority” for the company and they “take all reports about adverse effects from use of [their] products very seriously.” GLP-1 drugs accounted for 57% of Novo Nordisk’s sales in 2022.

Thoughts of self-harm are not listed as a side effect of Ozempic, but they are for Wegovy due to the results of a clinical trial for other weight loss drugs. As policy, the FDA does not comment on investigations of foreign drug regulatory bodies.

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