2 days Ago By Adam-t-forrest
The number of people admitted to hospital after suffering a bad reaction linked to weight loss drugs is four times higher than previously reported with hundreds requiring treatment, The i Paper can reveal. There have been 274 hospitalisations associated with the increasingly popular slimming injections – far higher than the 68 the regulator detailed earlier this month. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) told The i Paper the overall number of adverse reactions linked to these weight loss jabs has now reached 14,996, more than double the figure reported only last month.
The figures increase concerns over the sale of weight-loss jabs online, sometimes via social media, with health professionals sounding the alarm over the practice. Experts said that although the figures were “concerning” they are still relatively low, and made clear that approved weight-loss drugs were safe to use under the right supervision. But they are worried about the problems being caused by unlicensed, black market jabs and “off-label” use – taken in a way that has not been properly prescribed or supervised.
Layla Moran MP, chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, called for “stronger regulation” on their sale online and said it was “alarming to hear about the high number of hospitalisations and adverse reactions.” Moran, the senior Liberal Democrat MP, added: “It is concerning that the illicit black-market sale of weight loss drugs online has flourished, exposing individuals to serious risks from drugs that are unregulated and have not been medically prescribed to them. These findings suggest that there is a need for stronger regulation on the availability and online sale of weight loss drugs.
” The watchdog had previously only revealed those 7,228 reactions and 68 hospitalisations involving common gastrointestinal side-effects – such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhoea. But the total number of reactions and hospital cases is far higher. The MHRA has declined to list all the other reasons for hospital admissions or adverse reactions.
The i Paper understands the watchdog would need to see a clear pattern of recurring, unlisted side effects before alerting professionals to those . Dr Danielle Middleton, MHRA’s deputy director of benefit-risk evaluation, told The i Paper that an adverse reaction report “does not necessarily mean that the medicine has caused the suspected reaction or hospitalisation”. A report is filed when a doctor has suspicion that a reaction may be linked to a particular medicine.
Underlying or concurrent illnesses may be responsible. Dr Middleton added: “On the basis of the current evidence, the benefits of GLP-1 RAs [weight loss drugs] outweigh the potential risks when used for the licensed indications. “The decision to start, continue or stop treatments should be made jointly by patients and their doctor, based on full consideration and discussion of the benefits and risks.
” Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) said MHRA and other regulators “need to look at what has happened with these concerning number of hospital admissions, and identify what is causing them”. Ms Jenner said weight loss drugs such as semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and WeGovy, and tirzerpatide, sold as Mounjaro , are safe if taken as prescribed and “under careful supervision”. But she is worried checks online pharmacies’ checks on health conditions are not rigorous enough.
“We are concerned by the clear under-regulation of online pharmacies,” she added. Prof Alexander Miras, clinical professor of medicine at Ulster University, said he considered the total number of hospitalisations linked to weight loss drugs “very low” and said serious problems weight loss drugs remain “rare”. But he said the MHRA should investigate the cases where people were admitted to hospital for reasons not linked to common side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea to see if there are any patterns.
“They need to be investigating the side effects that are new, that we don’t know about.” Prof Miras added: “We should worry about unnecessary admissions. We want to avoid even the low number.
” The MHRA’s recent alert to professionals warned of counterfeit weight-loss medicines, and that “some falsified medicines have been found to contain insulin”. The regulator also warned of potential misuse for “unauthorised” reasons such as “aesthetic weight loss”. Dr Cormac Convery, a Glasgow GP who runs an aesthetic clinic, said it appeared too easy to obtain weight loss drugs via online pharmacies without rigorous checks.
“Out of interest I went on a website and put in that I was 5 ft 8 and 23 stone, and it appeared very easy to get a supply of medication, without any need for further checks on blood pressure or other conditions or anything else,” he told i . “Maybe the rules need to be changed to provide better protection.” Prof Miras called on the General Pharmaceutical Council, which regulates the work of online pharmacies, to produce clearer guidelines.
“If you don’t get support and you use [weight loss drugs] on your own, it’s a little like DIY without instructions.” Explained: Weight-loss jabs and what the cases tell us so far Last month, the MHRA issued a warning to health professionals after it had received reports of ten deaths linked to the use of weight loss jabs. It came as North Lanarkshire nurse Susan McGowan, died after had been taking injections of tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, after buying it through an online pharmacy .
Northumbria Police also last month said officers had arrested two women after the death of a woman in Sunderland who had taken a suspected “unauthorised” weight loss drug. The MHRA’s previous warning stated then that there had been 7,228 reports of common gastrointestinal reactions linked to weight loss drugs, with 68 of these patients admitted to hospital, but it did not disclose the much larger number of hospitalisations. Paige Roberts, 24-year-old healthcare assistant from Llandudno in Wales, told the BBC on Thursday that she had been hospitalised after taking black market weight-loss drugs .
Ms Roberts said she had not been able to get a prescription because she is not classed as obese, but had bought medication that she was told was semaglutide through a social media platform. She went to A&E after vomiting for over 48 hours, undergoing tests for liver and kidney function, before being sent home. Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said buying weight loss drugs online without a prescription was “really dangerous”.
She said she was concerned to hear reports of patients acquiring anti-obesity drugs “through online pharmacies with minimal checks and balances” as well as from “dubious online sources”. The Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP) wants to see online pharmacies registered in the UK take more information from patients to make sure jabs are being prescribed and used for their approved purpose. Andrew Rankin, trustee of JCCP, said cracking down on black market sales was up to the MHRA.
“We’re concerned about access outside the legal supply chain, whether through pharmacies abroad, or through criminal enterprise through social media.” Some changes are on the way next year. Last month the General Pharmaceutical Council announced a series of proposal for “additional safeguards” when it comes to weight loss drugs and other medicines obtained online.
The regulator wants more rigorous check online – requiring pharmacies to “independently verify the person’s weight, height and/or body mass index (BMI)”. Louise Edwards, the General Pharmaceutical Council’s chief strategy officer, said there were guidelines for online sales currently in place. “We expect pharmacies to follow this guidance, and we are issuing an updated version in the New Year which will set out additional safeguards around high-risk medicines, including medicines used for weight management.
” Health Secretary Wes Streeting has talked up weight-loss medications as potential “game changers” in tackling obesity in the NHS, but has also warned against their use without medical supervision. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said people should never buy weight loss drugs from “unauthorised sellers”. They said the MHRA “continuously works to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines and will use its powers to take appropriate enforcement action, including, where necessary, prosecuting those who put people’s health at risk”.
A spokesperson for Lilly UK, manufacturer of Mounjaro, said patient safety was the company’s “top priority”. They said the medication should only be used “when prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional and prescriptions should be fulfilled and supplied by reputable pharmacies and providers”. Anyone experiencing side effects “should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional”, they added.
Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk has been contacted for comment. Analysis – Ozempic has been a medical breakthrough – but the online risks remain by Paul Gallagher, Health Correspondent The first mention of semaglutide in the British press came in April 2016 with reports that Danish firm Novo Nordisk was undertaking advanced trials testing its new diabetes drug. Professor Melanie Davies, based at the Leicester Diabetes Centre, an international centre of excellence in diabetes research and education, described the results as “remarkable” and “a real advance for patients”.
Fast forward almost a decade and the treatment, which mimics the naturally occurring hormone GLP-1 and helps to regulate blood glucose levels and plays a key role in regulating appetite and food intake, has taken the world by storm. In 2021, semaglutide was described as “game changing” in the fight against obesity – said to cost the NHS around £6.5bn a year – after a trial showed more than a third (35 per cent) of people who took it lost more than one-fifth of their total body weight.
The average participant in the trial lost 15.3kg (nearly 3 stone). No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss.
For the first time, people could achieve through drugs what was only possible through weight-loss surgery. And not only that, the weight loss in the trial participants was accompanied by reductions in risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, such as waist circumference, blood fats, blood sugar and blood pressure and reported improvements in overall quality of life. Prescribed under the brand names Ozempic and Rybelsus (for diabetes) and Wegovy (for weight loss), soaring demand not just in the UK but around the world has seen Novo Nordisk struggle to meet demand.
Doctors and health officials stress they should only be taken under medical supervision and alongside improvements to diet and exercise. However, given more than a quarter of the UK population is obese, some people have inevitably turned to the black market to get their hands on semaglutide, despite repeated warnings form The Royal College of GPs among others that buying weight-loss drugs without prescription is highly dangerous. This week, a woman in Wales described how she thought she was going to die after finding what she assumed was the self-administered injection online left her vomiting for 48 hours.
Demand for the drugs has also been boosted by further research which found semaglutide delivers cardiovascular benefits irrespective of your starting weight and amount of weight lost. Earlier this year, a clinical trial of over 17,000 people found a weekly semaglutide injection reduced the risk of a heart attack or stroke by 20 per cent. Weight-loss jabs also look set to form a central part in the Government plans to get the unemployed back to work.
Although semaglutide is designed for long-term use, the Novo Nordisk sponsored trials have only lasted up to four years, so we don’t know much about its longer-term effects..
