The UK’s health regulator is looking into weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro after linking them to numerous severe health issues, including several deaths.
According to reports, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is encouraging people to share their experiences with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor/agonist medications, following new data that associates these drugs with nearly 300 cases of pancreatitis and at least 10 deaths related to this condition.
Earlier this month, a pharmacy news outlet revealed that 111 individuals in the UK had died after using GLP-1 drugs. Yet, officials pointed out that these statistics don’t definitively attribute the deaths to the medications, as preexisting health conditions may have been responsible. However, it seems that the authorities who reported these cases suspected the medication’s involvement.
Among those 111 fatalities, at least 10 were connected to pancreatitis. Recent news coverage highlights these cases thanks to the government’s new initiative encouraging citizens to report any pancreatic issues after using GLP-1s through the MHRA’s “Yellow Card” campaign.
This alert about a potential connection between GLP-1s and pancreatitis follows shortly after the National Health Service permitted healthcare providers to prescribe Mounjaro, a weight loss drug from Eli Lilly that contains tirzepatide, a substance similar to that in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy.
The NHS states that general practitioners in the UK can only prescribe Mounjaro under specific conditions, such as a diagnosis of at least four obesity-related health issues and a body mass index (BMI) that can vary based on race or ethnicity.
While many doctors believe GLP-1s are safe for most users, there’s growing concern from some practitioners based on recent real-world data from the MHRA. This is particularly relevant, given that an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK are currently using these medications.
“The rate of pancreatitis observed in clinical trials was low, but many individuals are now acquiring these drugs privately,” explained Simon Cork, a physiology lecturer. “Small percentages in large populations lead to an increasing number of cases, even though they remain relatively rare.”
Cork emphasized that the MHRA’s new guidelines are intended to assist healthcare providers and patients in making informed decisions rather than creating alarm.
“For the vast majority, these medications will aid in weight loss and are generally safe,” he pointed out. “For a minority, serious side effects can occur, making regular monitoring by healthcare professionals essential.”
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