Urgent warning issued over fat jabs as 82 deaths in the UK linked to the use of weight-loss and diabetes drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro
By BILL BOWKETT
Published: | Updated:
More than 80 Britons have died after using weight-loss and diabetes jabs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, it was reported last night.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reported at least 22 fatalities linked to the medication up to the end of January.
A further 60 deaths were recorded for products aimed to help with Type 2 diabetes.
Nearly 400 people also required hospital treatment since the rollout of the products over the past few years.
The National Health Service currently warns patients to ‘never take an anti-obesity medicine if it has not been prescribed to you’.
And Dr Alison Cave, MHRA chief safety officer, added that professionals must advise on whether they are necessary.
She told The Sun: ‘The decision to start, continue or stop treatments should be made jointly by patients and their doctor, based on full consideration of benefits and risks.’
Figures from the MHRA show up to 18 deaths were linked to Mounjaro – the King Kong of jabs which was recently approved for use on the NHS.
More than 80 Britons have died after using weight loss drugs, with a further 400 people also requiring hospital treatment (file photo)
Another 29 fatalities occoured in those taking Ozempic, Rybelsus or Wegovy, also known as semaglutide.
Meanwhile, some 35 people died after having Saxenda and Victoza.
All the drugs are taken by an estimated half a million people nationwide.
Yet reported side effects include nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, with some doctors warning of ‘life-threatning complications’ such as seizures or bowel obstruction.
The shocking revelations comes six months after a Scottish nurse became the first person in Britain whose death was directly linked to a weight-loss jab.
Susan McGowan, 58, suffered multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis after taking two low-dose injections of Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide.
She bought the powerful drug from an online pharmacy but died at University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie on September 4.
Experts have called for tighter rules on how weight-loss products, such as Ozempic, are proscribed (file image)
Currently, it is possible to obtain the drugs from big-name chemists by filling in an online form with details of your weight and height and submitting photographs of yourself.
However, experts and organisations such as the Society for Acute Medicine have called for tighter restrictions on how Ozempic, Mounjaro and other weight-loss products are prescribed.
A spokesman for Lilly UK, the makers of Mounjaro, said patient safety is its ‘top priority’.
It added: ‘Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine and Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data.’
‘If anyone is experiencing side effects when taking any Lilly medicine, they should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional.”
Daily Mail
