Boxes of Wegovy manufactured by Novo Nordisk in a pharmacy in London, Britain, on March 8, 2024.
Hollie Adams | Reuters
European Union drug regulators found no evidence that popular weight loss and diabetes drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic are linked to an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and self-harm, the regulator said on Friday.
The European Medicines Agency carried out a nine-month investigation into so-called GLP-1, a highly successful class of treatments that mimic a hormone produced in the intestine to suppress a person's appetite. Demand for those drugs has skyrocketed over the past year despite their high prices and spotty insurance coverage.
The review looked at several medicines Nordisk, including Wegovy and Ozempic. Did not include Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro, two versions of the same drug sold for weight loss and diabetes. But the research did include the active ingredient from an old Eli Lilly diabetes treatment called Trulicity.
In a statement to CNBC, Novo Nordisk confirmed the findings of the EMA investigation and said it will continue to monitor reports of adverse reactions to its GLP-1, including suicide and suicidal ideation.
The agency's verdict is the latest in a series of reassuring reports about the suicide risk of GLP-1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reached a similar conclusion in January, but said agency officials could not definitively rule out that “a small risk may exist.”
Clinical trials from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have not shown a link between GLP-1 and suicidal thoughts. Still, researchers and doctors have been on the lookout for new unwanted side effects or additional risks as thousands of new patients begin taking the drugs.
The EMA first launched its investigation in July after the Icelandic Medicines Agency flagged three cases of suicidal thoughts and self-harm in patients taking medications containing liraglutide and semaglutide, the active ingredients in the popular treatments.
Semaglutide is the active ingredient used in the diabetes pill Rybelsus from Wegovy, Ozempic and Novo Nordisk. Liraglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's former weight loss drug, Saxenda. The research also included other active ingredients in older diabetes and weight loss medications, such as dulaglutide, exenatide and lixisenatide.
The EMA said Friday that it analyzed the results of a large US study and found no direct association between semaglutide use and suicidal thoughts. Results from another study conducted by the agency also did not support a link between GLP-1 medications and the risk of suicidal thoughts.
Both studies were based on electronic medical records.
If you are having suicidal thoughts or are distressed, contact the Lifeline for suicide and crises in 988 in the USA or the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 for support and assistance from a trained counsellor.
