On March 8, 2024, a pharmacy in London, England sold boxed Wegovy produced by Novo Nordisk.
Holly Adams | Reuters
EU drug regulator found No evidence Popular weight loss and diabetes drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic are linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm, regulators said Friday.
The European Medicines Agency has launched a nine-month investigation into so-called GLP-1s, a blockbuster class of drugs that mimic hormones produced in the gut to suppress appetite in humans. Demand for these drugs has surged in the last year, despite their high prices and spotty insurance coverage.
This review examined several medications from the following countries: Novo Nordisk, including Wegovy and Ozempic.it does not include Eli Lilly and CompanyZepbound and Mounjaro are two versions of the same drug, used for weight loss and treating diabetes. But the investigation did include the active ingredient in an older diabetes treatment called Trulicity from Eli Lilly and Company.
Novo Nordisk did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the EMA’s findings.
The agency’s ruling is the latest in a series of reassuring reports on GLP-1’s suicide risk.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reached a similar conclusion in conclusion in January, but said agency officials could not definitively rule out “the possibility of a small risk.”
Clinical trials by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have not yet proven a link between GLP-1 and suicidal thoughts. Still, as thousands of new patients begin taking these drugs, researchers and doctors are always on the lookout for any new adverse side effects or increased risks.
The Icelandic Medicines Agency first launched an investigation in July after discovering three cases of suicidal thoughts and self-harm in patients taking medicines containing liraglutide and semaglutide, the active ingredients in popular treatments. .
Semaglutide is the active ingredient used in Wegovy, Ozempic and Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Rybelsus. Liraglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s long-established weight loss drug Saxenda. The investigation also included other active ingredients in older weight loss and diabetes drugs, including dulaglutide, exenatide and lixisenatide.
The EMA said on Friday it analyzed results from a large U.S. study and found no direct link between semaglutide use and suicidal thoughts. Results from another study conducted by the agency also did not support an association between GLP-1 drugs and the risk of suicidal thoughts.
Both studies were based on electronic health records.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or feeling distressed, please contact Suicide and Crisis Lifeline In the United States or in 988 Samaritan In the UK please call 116 123 for support and assistance from a trained adviser.
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