Weight loss jabs study begins after reports of pancreas issues

A study on the serious potential side effects of weight loss jab was launched after hundreds of people reported problems with their pancreas.

The Medicines and Health Care Regulation Agency (MHRA) and Genomics England ask people on weight loss drugs who have been hospitalized by acute pancreatitis to contact.

There have been hundreds of acute and chronic pancreatitis reports of people who have taken medication such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, although none is confirmed as being caused by drugs.

The objective is to “better predict those who are most at risk of unwanted reactions,” said Dr. Alison Cave, MHRA security director.

The study is conducted by the MHRA yellow cards scheme, which allows anyone to report a problem with a drug, a vaccine or a medical device to help identify safety problems as soon as possible.

Patients aged 18 and over, with bad reactions to weight loss jab – who are also authorized for type 2 diabetes – are invited to account for details on the Yellow Card website.

They will then be asked if they would be willing to participate in the study, which will check whether some people are at a higher genetic risk of acute pancreatitis when taking these drugs.

Patients will be invited to submit more information and a saliva sample, with the overall aim of reducing the occurrence of side effects in the future, the MHRA says.

The cases recorded on the Yellow Card website until May 13 of this year include 10 in which patients, who used weight loss drugs, died from the effects of pancreatitis – but it is not clear if other factors have also played a role.

It is impossible to know exactly how many people in the United Kingdom are on weight loss drugs, as many users get them online via unregulated sources, rather than through their doctors.

Health managers suggested that blows could help turn the tendency to obesity. However, they have also warned that drugs are not a miracle solution and often come with side effects, including nausea, constipation and diarrhea.

And the MHRA also warned that Mounjaro could make the oral contraceptive pill less effective for certain patients.

Dr. Alison Cave, MHRA’s head of security, said that study information “will help us better predict the most at risk of unwanted reactions, allowing patients in the United Kingdom to receive the safest medication for themselves, according to their genetic composition”.

She said that evidence has shown that almost a third of the side effects of drugs could be prevented with genetic tests.

“It is expected that the undesirable effects of drugs could cost the NHS more than 2.2 billion pounds sterling per year in the hospital stays,” she added.

Professor Matt Brown, scientific director of Genomics England, said: “GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have made the headlines, but like all drugs, there may be a risk of serious side effects.

“We believe that there is real potential to minimize them, many unwanted reactions with a genetic cause.”

He said the next step would be to “generate data and evidence of safer and more efficient processing thanks to more personalized prescription approaches, supporting a change to an increasingly focused health system”.