Blockbuster weight-loss vaccines do not increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or self-harm, health officials have ruled.
Last July, the UK’s medicines watchdog launched an urgent safety review on Wegovy, Ozempic, Saxenda and other similar drugs to investigate the possible link.
The review was prompted by reports from more than a dozen patients who experienced thoughts of self-harm and suicide after receiving the injections.
Suicidal thoughts are already listed as a possible consequence in leaflets included inside the packs, but some campaigners have called for clearer warnings.
However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which oversees drug safety in the UK, said today that the data “does not support a causal association”.
Researchers from three countries have suggested that taking antidepressants and drugs such as Ozempic could lead to suicidal thoughts or actions based on drug interactions.
He added: ‘Therefore, no updates to product information are guaranteed at this time.
‘The MHRA will continue to closely monitor the risk of serious psychiatric reactions associated with these receptor agonists and will assess new data as they become available.’
Semaglutide and liraglutide, the powerful ingredients behind Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda, have ushered in a new era in obesity treatment.
The drugs, beloved by Hollywood stars, stimulate weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released in the gut after eating, called GLP-1.
In addition to signaling the pancreas to produce more insulin, the GLP-1 hormone provides feedback to the brain and makes users feel full.
As a result, semaglutide and liraglutide may prevent users from overeating.
But it is not without side effects: users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea after taking the drug.
Wegovy, Ozempic and Saxenda are manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
Last July, the MHRA said the review, which also looked at the risk of depression, was launched after receiving five reports of patients taking semaglutide having thoughts of suicide or self-harm after taking the drug.
There had also been 12 reports since 2010 of such side effects in patients taking liraglutide.
Last month, a major study also suggested that taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic along with antidepressants may increase the risk of suicide.
Researchers in New York, Switzerland and Italy reviewed a World Health Organization database for reports of suicidal thoughts among people taking the drugs in more than 140 countries.
They found 107 cases of suicidal or self-harming thoughts or actions among those taking semaglutide and 162 among those taking liraglutide, suggesting a harmful interaction between weight-loss drugs and antidepressants.
But experts at the time criticized the study for its “weak evidence” and “important limitations” based on “spontaneous reports” of interactions between GLP-1 drugs and antidepressants.
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the production of the hormone GLP-1, which helps keep the body feeling full.
They also cautioned that the proportion of reports linked to both drugs was too small to determine an association.
Semaglutide has been available on the NHS in the UK since 2019, and in the US since 2017, for type 2 diabetics. control blood sugar levels.
Another drug, semaglutide, was also approved in Britain for weight loss in 2022, and in the United States in 2021, under the brand name Wegovy.
Like any medication, it can cause side effects that vary in both frequency and severity.
Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches and dizziness.
Strange symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported in some patients.
The latest figures from the National Health Service (NHS) show that 26% of adults in England are obese and a further 38% are overweight but not obese. In the United States, an estimated 41.9% of the adult population is obese.
Although vaccines are designed to help overweight patients become healthier, there has also been growing concern about the number of healthy weight patients taking them for cosmetic reasons.
Some have even needed emergency room care after receiving vaccines in an attempt to get a “beach-ready” body.