Doctors draw attention to safety issues associated with popular weight-loss drugs

The market for extremely popular medications that aid in weight loss is still expanding. Doctors are warning patients about possible adverse effects, though, as more patients adopt this habit.

Dr. Christopher McGowan, a gastroenterologist and expert in obesity medicine, claims that anti-obesity drugs “exert potent effects throughout the body, particularly the gastrointestinal tract.”

These consequences make thorough supervision, medical oversight, and monitoring “critical for all patients,” McGowan told FOX Business.

The rise of weight-loss prescriptions, sometimes referred to as GLP-1 medicines, signifies a change in the way obesity is treated. However, McGowan stated that they shouldn’t be treated heedlessly or indifferently. As evidenced by a recent lawsuit, the drugs’ strong side effects are the reason they alert patients to the possibility of nausea, vomiting, gastroparesis, and bowel obstruction.

A Pennsylvania woman is suing Novo Nordisk, alleging that the medications failed to sufficiently alert users about potentially dangerous side effects, leading to emergency surgery and the loss of her colon.

Asserting that the lawsuit’s allegations are “without merit,” Novo Nordisk stated to FOX Business that it plans “to vigorously defend against these claims.”

Although McGowan thinks there are enough cautions for these kinds of medications, he added that GLP-1 drugs have hazards that patients need to be aware of, just like any other prescription.

At the very least, McGown believes that “more cases of severe side effects are likely to emerge,” which “should at least serve as a caution to anyone starting a GLP-1 medication.” Currently, millions of Americans are taking these medications.

“The idea that these drugs are always safe and always effective is a common one. That is untrue, McGowan stated, stressing that even though clinical trials showed a good safety profile, patients still need to be made aware of any possible hazards.

People have found themselves in the hospital. According to McGowan, “They have had renal failure, electrolyte imbalances, dehydration, and even gallbladder disease, necessitating surgery.”

Patients on these drugs have also experienced pneumonia, aspiration (food, drink, or other materials inhaled accidently into the lungs), and procedural difficulties “due to retained gastric contents while receiving anesthesia,” he noted.

“Though exceedingly rare, these represent serious adverse events,” McGowan added. He said that there are also “emerging concerns about potential suicidal ideation, which is not yet proven but highlights the complexity of treating obesity and taking a medication that has effects within the brain.”

These GLP-1 medications have been used to treat obesity for almost ten years and Type 2 diabetes for about twenty years, according to Novo, a representative of FOX Business. This comprises the active ingredients of Saxenda and Victoza, liraglutide, and Wegovy and Ozempic, semaglutide and liraglutide.

The business stated it “stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional.”

Novo noted that semaglutide, for example, “has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real world evidence studies and has cumulatively over 9.5 million patient years of clinical experience.”

As per Novo, the FDA-approved product labeling of its medications describes the recognized risks and benefits.

In 2017, the FDA authorized Ozempic as a medication to treat Type 2 diabetes and raise blood sugar levels in addition to diet and exercise. Although weight reduction is a frequent side effect, long-term weight management is not authorized for this medication.

Wegovy was approved by the FDA in 2021 for the long-term control of weight in individuals who are obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related disease. Wegovy was also licensed earlier this year to prevent heart disease, according to a research that found the drug to be 20% less likely to cause major cardiac problems.

Even though they both contain semaglutide, the medicines differ in terms of their indications, doses, and dosing guidelines. According to Novo, the items should only be used for the purposes for which they have been approved. They are also not interchangeable.