Cliff Notes
- Over a million individuals in the UK using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes, including Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic, have been linked to 181 cases of pancreatitis, resulting in five fatalities.
- The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) states that while these drugs are associated with pancreatitis, there is insufficient evidence to restrict access, as the condition also arises in non-users.
- A new study by the MHRA and Genomics England aims to identify genetic factors that might increase the risk of pancreatitis in those using GLP-1 drugs, promoting safer and more tailored treatments.
Weight loss and diabetes jabs linked to potentially fatal side effect
Weight loss and diabetes jabs taken by more than a million people in the UK have been linked to a potential serious side effect, with some deaths, according to data from the UK medicines regulator.
New figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) show the group of drugs that includes Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic may be associated with inflammation of the pancreas.
According to the MHRA, there have been 181 reported cases of acute or chronic pancreatitis linked to Mounjaro, with five deaths.
Wegovy and Ozempic have been linked with 113 reports of pancreatitis and one death.
Other, less widely used versions of so-called GLP-1 drugs have also been linked to cases and deaths.
There is no evidence that the drugs directly caused the deaths. And the evidence isn’t strong enough for the MHRA to restrict access.