Ozempic and Wegovy Being Reviewed for Links to Suicide Risk

U.K. health authorities are investigating the correlation between suicidal thoughts and type-2 diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss drug Wegovy

Some people on Ozempic and Wegovy have experienced mental health issues.

According to Reuters, the U.K's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that it will be reviewing safety data on diabetes drug Ozempic, weight-loss drug Wegovy and other obesity medications after some patients who took the drugs reported thoughts of suicide or self-harm.

Ozempic and Wegovy, both of which are sold by Novo Nordisk, have soared in popularity in the U.S. in the last few months. Their key ingredient, semaglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which is being reviewed by the MHRA.

MHRA said between 2020 and early June 2023, it received reports of five adverse drug reactions "involving semaglutide" and associated with "suicidal and self-injurious behavior," Reuters reported.

"Only some of these reports mentioned the medical condition for which the medicine was used for. However, we have received reports from patients using these medicines both for type 2 diabetes and for weight loss," the MHRA notes.

The MHRA also said that more research needs to be done, and that the existence of the symptoms "does not in itself mean that they are proven to have been caused by the medicine, and should not be interpreted as a list of known side effects."

Related: Stars Who've Spoken About Ozempic — and What They've Said

Novo Nordisk responded to the report.

“Patient safety is our top priority," Dr. Alison Cave, chief safety officer at Novo Nordisk, tells PEOPLE in a statement.

"We are currently reviewing safety data on the risk of suicidal thoughts and thoughts of self-harm associated with medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, used for treating both type 2 diabetes and weight loss,' she says. "We will carefully consider all available evidence and communicate any further advice to patients and healthcare professionals as appropriate."

News of the safety review arrives shortly after the European Medicines Agency announced it would be investigating GLP-1 drugs for similar reasons in Iceland, per CNBC.

Earlier this week, doctors raised concerns about drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy after patients were diagnosed with severe gastroparesis — or stomach paralysis. The outlet noted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received similar reports.

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The GLP receptor agonists can delay food digestion if taken for extended periods of time, and sources told CNN that some patients were diagnosed with stomach paralysis after taking such drugs.

Related: What Is Ozempic Face? Doctors Explain the Side Effect of the Diabetes Drug

Novo Nordisk acknowledged those concerns in a statement to The Independent. "Semaglutide has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real world evidence studies and has cumulatively over 9.5 million patient years of exposure."

“Gastrointestinal (GI) events are well-known side effects of the GLP-1 class. For semaglutide, the majority of GI side effects are mild to moderate in severity and of short duration. GLP-1’s are known to cause a delay in gastric emptying, as noted in the label of each of our GLP-1 RA medications. Symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, nausea and vomiting are listed as side effects.”

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