Sun: More than 80 Britons have died from weight loss drugs including Ozempic
More than 80 UK residents have died as a result of the use of drugs for the treatment of diabetes and weight loss, including ‘Ozempik’, produced by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, and ‘Munjaro’, produced by the American pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, writes the Sun newspaper with reference to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
In November 2024, the Economist wrote that thousands of people who have suffered health problems as a result of using weight loss drugs related to GLP-1 (a hormone that is produced in the gut as a result of ingesting food, causing insulin to be released and feelings of reduced appetite) have filed or are about to file lawsuits against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, claiming that they were not properly informed about the risks associated with the use of these drugs.
‘’Nearly 82 Britons have died after using weight loss and diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Munjaro,‘’ the piece said.
According to the publication, at least 18 people died as a result of the use of the drug ‘Munjaro’ (active substance tirzepatide), 29 people – after the use of drugs ‘Ozempik’, ‘Vegovi’, ‘Rebelsas’ (active substance semaglutide), another 35 people after the use of drugs ‘Saxenda’ and ‘Victoza’ (active substance liraglutide).
According to data from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, 22 people took one of these drugs for weight loss purposes, the other 60 – for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is noted that the data is current as of the end of January.
Chief safety officer MHRA Allison Cave said that the decision to start, continue or stop taking these drugs should be made jointly by the patient and the attending physician ‘based on a full consideration of the benefits and risks’.
The publication writes that about half a million Britons are taking these drugs. This number is expected to double in a year’s time.
The newspaper notes that side effects of such drugs include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, which leads to severe dehydration. However, doctors say ‘life-threatening complications’ have been encountered, including seizures, intestinal obstruction and inflammation of the pancreas.
The drug Ozempic has been registered globally since 2017; in Britain its use was authorised in 2019. The drug Munjaro in Britain was approved by the MHRA in 2023,
Ozempic was originally defined as a hormone to help people with type 2 diabetes regulate blood sugar levels. However, after it was found to affect the brain by controlling appetite, it was used for weight loss.
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