Ozempic isn't linked to suicidal thoughts, U.S. and European health agencies find
Health agencies in the U.S. and Europe say there’s no evidence that thoughts of suicide or self-harm are linked to the popular weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide, which is sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.
Health agencies in the U.S. and Europe say there’s no evidence that thoughts of suicide or self-harm are linked to the popular weight loss and diabetes drug semaglutide, which is sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy.
After a nine-month review, the European Medicines Agency concluded Friday that “the available evidence does not support a causal association” between GLP-1 receptor agonists, the drug class that includes semaglutide, and suicidal thoughts or actions.
The Food and Drug Administration arrived at a similar conclusion in January. The agency examined reports of suicidal thoughts or actions to its adverse event reporting system, but a preliminary review found there wasn’t a clear link to the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists. However, the FDA said in a statement it “cannot definitively rule out that a small risk may exist” and would continue to look into the issue.
As semaglutide rose in popularity last year, a small number of users reported suicidal thoughts while taking it.
As of December, the FDA’s adverse event reporting system had received 157 reports of suicidal ideation attributed to Ozempic and 18 attributed to Wegovy. By comparison, more than 2.6 million people in the U.S. were prescribed semaglutide from January 2018 to September 2023, according to data provided to NBC News by Epic Research, a health analytics firm.
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