A nurse’s death has been linked to the fact that she took a weight-loss drug that was approved for use by the NHS.
Susan McGowan, 58, from Lanarkshire, died from multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis after receiving two injections of low doses of tirzepatide, known under the brand name Mounjaro.
He received the injections over a two-week period before his death on September 4, believed to be the first officially drug-related death in the UK.
Ms McGowan was a nurse at Monklands University Hospital in Airdrie, Scotland, for more than three decades and had often chatted to friends about her struggle to lose weight.
Just days after taking the medication, which costs between £150 and £200 for a four-week supply, Ms McGowan began having severe stomach pains and went to A&E at the hospital where she worked.
Although her companions fought to save her, she tragically passed away with her niece Jade Campbell by her side.
Earlier this year it was revealed that the medicines watchdog received reports of ten deaths linked to the use of weight loss injections and 7,228 reports of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea associated with products such as Wegovy and Ozempic.
Susan McGowan, 58 (left) died with her niece Jade Campbell (right) at her side two weeks after taking weight loss medication.
The nurse for three decades went to the emergency room at the hospital where she worked with severe stomach pains, but unfortunately her colleagues could not save her.
The Mounjaro weight loss vaccine was approved for use in NHS Scotland by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in June this year.
Of those, 68 patients were admitted to hospital, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.
The figures are based on users or healthcare workers reporting adverse reactions to the drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), to the regulator.
A reported death or adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it was caused by the drug, just that someone suspected it may have been that way.
Underlying or concurrent diseases and other medications that patients may have taken at the time of their death may be responsible and such events may also be coincidental, he told the trade journal Chemist and Druggist.
The MHRA has urged healthcare professionals to “report cases of misuse” and “inform patients about common and serious side effects associated with GLP-1RAs”.
At the time, it said it knew of 46 hospitalizations as of Aug. 16, suggesting there have been 22 additional reports in two months, representing a 48 percent increase.
Between January and May this year there were 208 reports relating to tirzepatide on the Yellow Card scheme, which records adverse effects of medicines in the UK.
These adverse reactions included 31 serious reactions and the presumed death of a man in his sixties.
Ms McGowan purchased a prescription through a registered online pharmacy after researching Mounjaro and seeking medical advice.
His niece Jade told him bbc: ‘Susan had always had a little extra weight but never had any health problems. He was not taking any other medication. She was healthy.
‘Susan was a very happy person. She was very generous, very kind and was the life of the party – a great personality. They said she was the one who laughed the most in the hospital.
In June, Scotland became the first country in the UK to approve Mounjaro, which was dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of anti-obesity jabs.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium ruled this year that Mounjaro could be available on the NHS to help people lose weight.
Her niece Jade described Ms McGowan as a “fun” person and “the life of the party”.
Mounjaro is the latest in a line of slimming injections that have seen users lose large amounts of weight and is believed to be one of the most effective.
It will cost the Scottish NHS £33.6 million a year. The cost of obesity to the National Health Service is estimated at £600 million a year.
Mounjaro is the brand name for a medication called tirzepatide and is given as a weekly injection in various strengths.
It is the latest in a new generation of injections that help people lose weight, similar to Ozempic and Wegovy, which have also recently been approved by the SMC.
The drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), suppress hunger by mimicking hormones that signal the body is full.
Mounjaro also slows the passage of food through the stomach.
Studies have found that people can lose up to 20 percent of their body weight in 36 weeks by taking Mounjaro.
The NHS-backed OpenPrescribing data source shows soaring prescriptions for semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy.
Deaths in the United States related to semaglutide and tirzepatide by year. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, while tirzepatide is used in medications such as Zepbound. Yellow is used for 2024 to indicate that the data is incomplete.
The difference in results led American diabetes expert Dr. Julio Rosenstock to declare Mounjaro “King Kong” compared to rival Wegovy’s “gorilla.”
However, people usually need to continue taking the medication to maintain weight loss.
Mounjaro was recently approved by the SMC as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, as it also helps stimulate the production of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar.
The June ruling paved the way for thousands of Scots without diabetes to receive injections to help them lose weight.
Earlier this week, the Danish maker of the famous weight-loss jab Ozempic revealed that ten Americans died and 100 were hospitalized after taking pharmacy-made imitations of its drug.
Meanwhile, wEight missed shots like Ozempic’s have been linked to 162 deaths in the US, DailyMail.com revealed.
One of the victims was a 45-year-old woman who choked on her own vomit while taking Mounjaro, a rival drug that works in the same way.
Another involved a 23-year-old man who died of vomiting, nausea and a rapid heart rate after taking Wegovy.