UK investigates weight loss, diabetes drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic for suicide risks

U.K. health authorities connected Wednesday said they are reviewing obesity and diabetes drugs similar Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic aft immoderate patients who took the treatments reported thoughts of suicide oregon self-harm.

The probe into perchance life-threatening broadside effects comes arsenic the drugs skyrocket successful popularity successful the U.S. — and gully heightened investor interest — for helping radical execute melodramatic value nonaccomplishment implicit time.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, successful a connection to CNBC, did not bespeak erstwhile it expects to implicit its reappraisal of information information connected the treatments. Authorities successful the European Union launched a similar investigation of the drugs earlier this month.

The MHRA said the reappraisal includes each obesity and diabetes drugs disposable successful the U.K. Aside from Ozempic and Wegovy, it includes Novo Nordisk's different value nonaccomplishment cause Saxenda. Other diabetes drugs similar AstraZeneca's Bydureon, Eli Lilly's Trulicity and Sanofi's Lyxumia are besides included successful the probe.

Those drugs are each portion of a people of drugs known arsenic GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a hormone produced successful the gut to suppress a person's appetite. GLP-1s tin besides assistance negociate Type 2 diabetes due to the fact that they promote insulin merchandise from the pancreas, lowering humor sweetener levels.

"Patient information is our apical priority," the MHRA said successful a connection to CNBC. "We volition cautiously see each disposable grounds and pass immoderate further proposal to patients and healthcare professionals arsenic appropriate."

Novo Nordisk said successful a connection that it received a reappraisal petition from the MHRA connected Monday. The institution said a "response volition beryllium provided wrong the requested timelines" of the review.

Sanofi said successful a connection that it was alert of the reappraisal and is moving with the MHRA. The institution added that its pharmacovigilance monitoring system, which tracks adverse cause effects, has not identified immoderate information concerns associated with GLP-1s.

AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected the MHRA's review. Reuters archetypal reported the review. 

Between 2020 and July 6 this year, the MHRA received 5 reports of suspected adverse cause reactions associated with "suicidal and self-injurious" behaviour successful patients who took Ozempic and Wegovy. 

The bureau besides received 12 akin reports involving those who took Saxenda, oregon liraglutide, betwixt 2010 and July 6. 

But the MHRA emphasized that those reports are not impervious that the drugs caused those adverse reactions. 

The U.S. prescribing accusation for Wegovy and Saxenda, some approved by the Food and Drug Administration, already recommends that health-care providers show for "suicidal behaviour and ideation." 

Saxenda's accusation besides noted that objective trials successful adults recovered 9 of 3,300 radical connected the cause reported suicidal ideation. That's compared with 2 of much than 1,900 radical connected a placebo. The prescribing accusation says "there was insufficient accusation to found a causal relationship" betwixt suicidal ideation and Saxenda.

There is nary akin proposal successful the U.S. prescribing information for Ozempic and different GLP-1s for diabetes, which are typically utilized astatine little doses.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, interaction the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. astatine 988 oregon the Samaritans in the U.K. astatine 116 123.