(NewsNation) — The U.K. is reviewing a class of drugs used in diabetes medicine and weight loss treatment after some patients reported experiencing suicidal or self-harming thoughts.
According to Reuters, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it’s looking into safety data on GLP-1 receptor agonists, which includes Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Saxenda.
Ozempic’s active ingredient is semaglutide. Saxenda contains liraglutide, which is approved for weight-loss treatment in some places. Reports say Saxenda is the older GLP-1 drug from Novo out of the two and has lower effectiveness.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, which create a feeling of fullness in an effort to suppress appetite, were initially created to help treat type 2 diabetes but have been widely used for weight-loss.
Between 2020 and July 6 of this year, the MHRA told Reuters it received five reports of suspected adverse drug reactions involving semaglutide associated with “suicidal and self-injurious behavior.” Between 2010 and July 6 of this year, the MHRA said it received 12 suspected adverse drug reactions involving liraglutide also associated with “suicidal and self-injurious behavior.”
Novo Nordisk has previously said their own safety monitoring revealed no “causal association” between self-harming thoughts and the drugs.
“Patient safety is our top priority,” Dr. Alison Cave, the agency’s chief safety officer, told Reuters. “We will carefully consider all available evidence and communicate any further advice to patients and healthcare professionals as appropriate.”
The MHRA is not the first health agency to investigate the potential impact of GLP-1 drugs. Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency announced that it started looking into the medicine after a health regulator in Iceland alerted them to three different cases of patients thinking of suicide or self-harm.
In the U.S., reports say more than 350,000 people have been prescribed Ozempic. The Food and Drug Administration has also listed semaglutide on its database of drug shortages.
The MHRA began its review of GLP-1 drugs on July 12. It’s unclear when the review will be completed.
If you or someone you know needs help, resources or someone to talk to, you can find it at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website or by calling either 988 or 1-800-273-8255. People are available to talk to 24/7.
Reuters contributed to this report.