Health officials have received reports of more than 200 deaths suspected of being linked to weight-loss jabs, figures suggest. Regulators have also received reports of more than 158,000 adverse reactions linked to the popular medications.
Breakdown by drug
Data from the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) Yellow Card Scheme indicate that 106,189 adverse reactions – including gastrointestinal problems – and 120 deaths have been reported regarding tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro.
Some 48,089 reactions and 59 deaths have been reported as suspected links to semaglutide, the active ingredient in the weight-loss drug Wegovy. Semaglutide is also used in diabetes treatments Ozempic and Rybelsus.
Meanwhile, 4,491 adverse reactions and 37 deaths have been reported as suspected links to liraglutide, sold under the brand name Saxenda. This drug is also used to treat diabetes under different brand names.
Regulator's caution
The regulator said that adverse reactions and deaths reported to its Yellow Card Scheme did not necessarily mean the medicine caused them, only that the reporter suspected it may have.
An MHRA spokesperson said: “It is important to place these reports in the context of the millions of GLP-1 prescriptions issued in the UK. Reporting volumes can be influenced by increased use, greater awareness of a potential adverse reaction and other factors.
“As with all medicines, the safety of GLP-1s are kept under continual review including emerging evidence from spontaneous data and scientific publications. Any potential updates regarding the safety for these medicines would be promptly communicated to patients and healthcare professionals, and appropriate steps taken to mitigate any identified risk.
“On the basis of the current evidence, the benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists outweigh the potential risks when used in line with their authorised uses.”
Government response
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper told LBC Radio: “We have a whole system of health safety regulations in place where experts will do monitoring of any adverse impacts, of any safety reports, any concerns that are raised.
“And the good thing about the fact that we have a National Health Service means that all of those reports can be collected together – all of them can be monitored.
“And we ensure that those experts, the expert regulators, are monitoring that at all times and making sure if there are any wider concerns, if there are any issues that need to be raised, then they are brought to the health secretary, to health ministers, as well as to the public, to make sure that safety is always paramount.”
