Popular weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have been linked to significant gastrointestinal problems in a handful of patients, according to new research published on Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Canadian researchers examined the health insurance claims of nearly 16 million people who use GLP-1 agonists, which replicate insulin-producing hormones in the body. Nearly 10 out of every 1,000 patients experienced stomach paralysis while taking either Ozempic or Wegovy, which have the same chemical compound designated for diabetes or weight loss, respectively.
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The study found that patients on GLP-1 agonists for weight loss were also at an increased risk for pancreatitis and bowel obstruction, both of which are medical emergencies. Diabetics, however, who use the medications as insulin regulators, did not have the same degree of complications.
"Given the wide use of these drugs, these adverse events, although rare, must be considered by patients who are contemplating using the drugs for weight loss because the risk-benefit calculus for this group might differ from that of those who use them for diabetes," the authors of the study wrote.
Ozempic and Wegovy, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, and competitor drug Mounjaro, made by Eli Lilly, have taken the pharmaceutical market by storm this year, allowing the manufacturers to rake in record profits.
These drugs, however, have come under significant scrutiny as well, including one Louisiana-based lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for gastroparesis, or delayed stomach emptying, and gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining, neither of which were on the warning labels for the drugs at the time the patient began treatment.
Symptoms of gastroparesis or bowel obstruction include intense stomach pain and vomiting.
Despite these side effects, other studies indicate that Wegovy may lead to a significant decrease in heart attacks and strokes as a result of lowering levels of obesity, and some analysts see this class of medication as revolutionary in the practice of obesity medicine.
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Novo Nordisk told CNN that the study published Thursday acknowledged its limitations, including the difficulty of discerning between the use of the drugs to treat diabetes and for weight loss.
The pharmaceutical giant also recommended that all healthcare decisions be made between an individual patient and his or her physician.