People conduct Ozempic and similar drug may have to keep an optic out for an unexpected side effect . Health officials in Europe are look into whether these diabetes and weight loss treatments could elevate the risk of a rarefied but serious disorder that can cause sightlessness , following recent report showing a potential association .
On Monday , the Danish Medicines Agency announced that it would postulate wellness functionary at the European Union to investigate if GLP-1 medications can potentially induce non - arteritic prior ischemic optic neuropathy , or NAION . Studies this yr from researchers in the U.S. , and now Denmark , have suggested that GLP-1 substance abuser face a not bad hazard of NAION . At this point , however , it ’s still not clear whether there ’s a causative link between the two , and the experimental condition appear to be very rare even among GLP-1 users .
NAIONis due to a loss of profligate flow to the optical nerve , which then results in sudden and often permanent vision loss . Not much is know about why it find , though some potential risk factors let in age , in high spirits roue pressure , and sleep apnea .
While rare, NAION is a leading cause of blindness caused by optic nerve damage.© Virojt Changyencham via Getty
oculist at Harvard Medical School and Mass Eye and Ear were the first scientist topublicly highlightthe possible connexion between NAION and GLP-1s . In July , theypublisheda discipline showing that people take semaglutide ( the fighting ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy ) for their diabetes or obesity were more potential to develop NAION than similar patients taking other drugs over a three year period .
This calendar month , two separate squad at the University of Southern Denmarkreleasedthe preliminary results of their studies on the topic ( one studyhas been accept for publishing at a compeer - reviewed diary , theotheris undergoing peer review ) . Both studies tracked the preponderance of NAION among hoi polloi in Denmark shoot semaglutide for diabetes liken to other medications ( one study additionally looked at resident in Norway ) . As with the earlier U.S. study , they found a noticeably high-pitched risk of NAION in those accept semaglutide .
The Danish Medicines Agency has also been keeping data track of a possible rise in NAION cases , via adverse event reports filed to it by doctor and patient ( most every country , including the U.S. , has a similar system ) . But it was n’t until these later study that the means felt compelled to go further . It is now call for the EU ’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee ( PRAC ) to refresh the Danish studies and other information in rules of order to determine whether NAION is a genuine side effect of semaglutide use .
“ In the past six months , we have evaluated reports and study regard the serious center shape known as NAION in collaboration with our European fellow worker . These young register - based studies bring home the bacon comprehensive data from Danish and Norwegian registers that the European Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee may now see , ” said Line Michan , director of pharmacovigilance at the DMA , in astatementMonday . “ Therefore , we will now request PRAC to tax the new study . ”
While these study do add more weight to the estimate that GLP-1 medications can touch off NAION , they are still far from unequivocal proof . Observational , retrospective data alone ca n’t demonstrate a drive - and - effect relationship between any two factors . Other case of studies , such as placebo - controlled clinical trials , studies tracking real - life-time GLP-1 users proactively , or even lab study with fauna , would in all probability be needed to confirm a genuine increase risk of NAION from these drug .
Researchers and health officials have also been careful to point out that any such higher risk will probably still be very small-scale . Though NAION is the 2nd most common movement of cecity due to ocular cheek damage , following glaucoma , it ’s a rare upset . In the U.S. , it ’s reckon that there are severalthousand Modern case of NAIONevery year .
The early U.S. subject field found that semaglutide was connect with a sevenfold high peril of NAION . But the larger , belike more representative Danish studies instead found a two- to threefold higher risk . The Danish researchers estimated that for every 10,000 people handle with semaglutide in a year , somewhere between 1.5 and 2.5 supernumerary cause of NAION might occur ( assume a real link , of row ) . Up through other December , the DMA has received 19 reports of NAION potentially tie to semaglutide , date stamp back to July 2024 .
The benefits of GLP-1 therapy are also likely to preponderate the likely danger of NAION for most eligible patients . Poorly treat diabetes can itself lead tovision issues , for case . But give how serious and life - changing NAION can be , even a small increase risk of it is still worth paying attending to . By studying this link further , it ’s possible that investigator will chance other factors that strike a person ’s chance of develop NAION while taking a GLP-1 drug , and that could help preclude face in the future . Someone at higher risk of exposure might be advised to take a unlike diabetes drug , for instance . For now , we ’ll just have to wait and see where the rubble finalize .
What to fuck About the Link Between Stomach Paralysis and Ozempic
GLP-1 drug like Ozempic are known to make common side core like sickness and constipation , though these tend to fade over time . In the year since being widely released to the public , the drugs have been connect with serious , but rarified complication like gastroparesis ( stomach palsy ) . Some studies have also flag potential issues with their use that have not been supported by late research , such as ahigher risk of self-destruction .
Diabeteseye healthGLP-1Ozempic
Daily Newsletter
Get the good tech , science , and culture news show in your inbox day by day .
newsworthiness from the time to come , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
