Popular weight loss drugs linked to higher risk of stomach paralysis

By AFP

Drugs like Ozempic, which have become increasingly popular for losing weight, heighten the

risk of certain severe gastrointestinal problems including stomach paralysis, according to a

study published Thursday.

The paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), looked at a

class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists that includes the brands Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus and

Saxenda.

It then compared the rate of serious side effects to another class of weight loss drug,

bupropion-naltrexone.

The GLP-1 agonists were associated with an almost four times increased risk of stomach

paralysis, a nine times higher risk of pancreatitis and four times greater risk of bowel

obstruction.

These conditions can cause hospitalization and require surgery, depending on their severity.

"Given the wide use of these drugs, these adverse events, although rare, must be considered

by patients thinking about using them for weight loss," said lead author Mohit Sodhi, a

medical student at the University of British Columbia in Canada, in a statement.

"The risk calculus will differ depending on whether a patient is using these drugs for diabetes,

obesity or just general weight loss," he added. "People who are otherwise healthy may be less

willing to accept these potentially serious adverse events."

Originally developed for managing Type 2 diabetes, GLP-1 agonists have soared in popularity

in recent years as a means to lose weight, mainly through "of-label" use.

Saxenda and Wegovy were approved for weight loss in 2020 and 2021, but the clinical trials

used to greenlight them involved too few people with too short a follow-up time to detect

very rare events, the researchers said.

Epidemiologist and co-author Mahyar Etminan said that while there had been anecdotal

reports of some patients using these drugs for weight loss and then having repeated episodes

of nausea and vomiting as a result of stomach paralysis, the current study was the first to

examine the question at a larger scale.

The authors trawled through US patient records searching for people prescribed liraglutide or

semaglutide -- the two main GLP-1 agonists -- or bupropion/naltrexone, a non GLP-1 weight

loss medication, to see how many went on to develop certain gastrointestinal conditions.

Their analysis included patients with a recent history of obesity, but excluded those with

diabetes or who had been prescribed another antidiabetic drug. Just over 5,400 records were

included in the final analysis.

"The results from this study highlight how important it is that patients access these drugs

only through trusted medical professionals, and only with ongoing support and monitoring,"

said Simon Cork, a senior lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, who was not involved in the

research.

"It is vital that regulation is tightened to ensure that these drugs are only prescribed under

the right circumstances."