More than 100 US deaths linked to Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs - ... trends now
Fat loss shots like Ozempic and Zepbound have been linked to more than 100 deaths in the US, DailyMail.com can reveal.
One of the victims was a person in their 20s who developed an 'intestinal mass' and another was a pregnant woman.
The cases have been recorded in an FDA monitoring system used to track the safety of medicines used in the US, called FAERS.
None of the deaths are proven to have been directly caused by the injections. But experts say the reports indicate cases where the drugs were suspected to have been involved.
The cases have been recorded in an FDA monitoring system used to track the safety of medicines used in the US, called FAERS. They are shown above in a graphic
Trish Webster, 56, pictured above, died after using Ozempic to lose some weight before her daughter's wedding
There are also concerns about counterfeit versions of the drugs which are becoming more common as patients struggle to get the real thing.
Fake versions have been found to contain insulin which, in high doses, can cause seizures, a coma and even death.
The youngest patient with information was a 28-year-old woman who was hospitalized and diagnosed with an 'intestinal mass'.
Another fatality involved a woman who took Ozempic while she was pregnant, which the drug maker advises against after studies in pregnant rats on the drug showed their offspring had growth problems and developmental abnormalities.
In total, the FDA's system has recorded 117 fatalities among people taking blockbuster weight loss drugs since 2018.
Of these, 81 were linked to patients using semaglutide — the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy — while 36 were linked to patients using tirzepatide, the ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound.
More than half of the fatalities linked to semaglutide — 54 deaths, or 66 percent — were recorded after a version of the drug, Wegovy, was approved for weight loss in June 2021. Ozempic has not been approved for weight loss but is prescribed off-label for this use.
No deaths have been recorded linked to tirzepatide after a version of the drug — Zepbound — was approved for weight loss, but it only got the green light for this use in November 2023.
Symptoms recorded ranged from seizures to blockages in the intestines and pancreatic cancer.
Fatalities surged 230 percent in 2023 compared to previous years, although experts said that about this time prescriptions also exploded. If there are millions more people taking a drug, then this raises the likelihood of fatalities in patients using it.
None of the US victims who died while using Ozempic have been identified.
Last year, however, the family of a 56-year-old mother from Australia said she had died from Ozempic — after being diagnosed with 'acute gastrointestinal illness' and collapsing at home with a 'brown substance' foaming from her mouth.
Despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, experts have warned it is not a 'magic pill' or miracle fix-all. Trials have shown that users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking the drug and it can trigger a variety of nasty side
