A study linking popular weight loss drug to suicide risk again raises long-standing safety questions

Brenda Goodman, CNN

(CNN) — People taking semaglutide, nan celebrated medicine for glucosuria and weight loss, are much apt to study having thoughts of termination compared pinch those taking different drugs, according to a caller study of an world supplier information database. But nan uncovering is nan latest see-saw of technological grounds connected nan consequence of slump and termination tied to nan celebrated medications — and critics opportunity grounds that nan narcotics origin problems pinch temper is limited.

Semaglutide is sold nether nan marque sanction Ozempic erstwhile it’s prescribed for glucosuria and Wegovy erstwhile it’s prescribed for weight loss. In addition, a number of companies make compounded forms of nan drug. The usage of nan medicine has surged successful caller years, and studies person shown much promising effects, including reductions successful kidney disease and cancer.

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But termination has been a long-standing interest pinch medications that change nan desire for food. For immoderate people, losing nan pleasance and reward of eating — and possibly different things — creates a melodramatic displacement successful temper and whitethorn summation nan consequence of self-harm. In 2008, nan weight nonaccomplishment supplier rimonabant, which acted connected nan aforesaid encephalon strategy that gives group nan munchies erstwhile they’re connected marijuana, was withdrawn from usage because it accrued nan consequence of suicide. (The supplier was ne'er approved for usage successful nan United States.)

The patient information for semaglutide already includes a informing to watch retired for slump and suicidal thoughts. But there’s been conflicting grounds astir nan consequence of suicidal thoughts and feelings pinch caller weight nonaccomplishment drugs, including semaglutide.

Earlier this year, nan European Medicines Agency said disposable grounds did not show a nexus betwixt termination and semaglutide and different narcotics utilized for weight loss. The US Food and Drug Administration has besides been investigating nan consequence of termination and suicidal thoughts crossed narcotics successful nan aforesaid people arsenic semaglutide and frankincense acold has not recovered immoderate accrued risk. However, nan agency says it can’t norm retired a mini summation successful consequence because of nan mini full number of events successful their surveillance systems, and its investigation is ongoing.

A large study published successful January successful nan diary Nature Medicine recovered that usage of semaglutide was linked to a little consequence of suicidal thoughts, compared with people taking different kinds of medications for weight nonaccomplishment and diabetes.

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The new study, which was published Tuesday successful nan diary JAMA Network Open, looked astatine reports of suicidal thoughts successful group taking semaglutide — whether for glucosuria aliases weight nonaccomplishment — successful a database maintained by nan World Health Organization that compiles adverse events linked to narcotics crossed 140 countries.

The study authors recovered 107 reports of patients, retired of much than 30,500 total, who said they thought astir sidesplitting themselves while taking semaglutide and 162 akin reports, retired of much than 52,000, successful patients taking liraglutide, a different injected glucosuria medicine that’s successful nan aforesaid people arsenic semaglutide. Liraglutide is an older drug, truthful much group person had acquisition taking it.

The study authors recovered what they picture arsenic a disproportional consequence of suicidal thoughts successful group taking semaglutide but not successful group who were taking liraglutide. When they compared reports of suicidal thoughts successful group taking semaglutide pinch nan consequence reported pinch each different narcotics successful nan database, they recovered that nan consequence was elevated by astir 45% successful group taking semaglutide.

The consequence was about four times higher successful group who were besides taking narcotics to power slump and anxiety, suggesting that this group whitethorn beryllium astatine moreover higher consequence for temper effects pinch these medications. When nan study authors excluded cases of group taking semaglutide and antidepressants, nan relation vanished — suggesting that group who were taking some narcotics were driving nan risk.

The study authors admit that their investigation has limitations. But because truthful galore group are taking semaglutide, they deliberation nan findings warrant further study and “urgent clarification” astir nan risk.

Other experts said nan grounds presented successful nan study is thin.

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“Basically, it is difficult to tease retired from this study whether it is nan supplier doing this aliases nan temper disorder,” said Dr. Mahyar Etminan, an master successful supplier information astatine nan University of British Columbia successful Vancouver who was not progressive successful nan study

“This insubstantial presents, astatine best, anemic grounds of an relation betwixt semaglutide and suicidality,” said Ian Douglas, a professor of pharmacoepidemiology astatine nan London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. In a remark fixed to reporters, Douglas says studies for illustration this are bully for generating theories but can’t beryllium origin and effect.

In a commentary connected nan study, Dr. Francesco Salvo and Dr. Jean-Luc Faillie, 2 French supplier information researchers who were not progressive successful nan research, agree. They opportunity it’s communal for supplier information studies to alteration successful their conclusions depending connected nan database that’s utilized and nan methods of nan study. Until we person amended evidence, it’s a bully thought to beryllium careful, they say.

“Depression aliases suicidality are uncommon but highly terrible events and request to beryllium prevented and managed arsenic overmuch arsenic possible,” Salvo and Faillie wrote.

Without much precise data, they deliberation GLP-1 and different kinds of appetite suppressants should beryllium prescribed pinch be aware successful group pinch a history of slump aliases suicidal thoughts. And if patients acquisition a caller section of slump while connected nan medication, they wrote, doctors whitethorn want to see “immediate discontinuation.”