They investigate slimming products in Colombia for causing self-harm thoughts
These drugs are sold in Colombia at a price range between $160,000 and $260,000
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is conducting an investigation into Novo Nordisk's slimming drugs Ozempic and Saxenda, due to several reports of patients experiencing self-harming thoughts and suicidal ideation.
This research is being conducted in response to cases reported by the Icelandic Medicines Agency, which include two cases of suicidal ideation related to Novo Nordisk's medicines Ozempic and Saxenda. In addition, a patient who used Saxenda, Novo's first weight-loss medication, has been reported to experience self-injurious thoughts.
Novo Nordisk has ensured that patient safety is their highest priority and that they take all reports of adverse events very seriously. However, safety data to date have not shown a "causal association" between suicidal or self-injurious thoughts and the drugs, according to the company.
The EMA investigation will also cover other medicines in the same class known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, as well as Ozempic and Saxenda. In the United States, the instructions for the drug Wegovy already recommend monitoring patients for suicidal thoughts or behavior.
According to reports from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) Public Panel, there have been at least 60 reports of suicidal ideation since 2018 related to the use of the active ingredient semaglutide. present in both Wegovy and Ozempic.
It is important to note that these drugs, marketed by Novo Nordisk, are also sold in Colombia at a price range between $160,000 and $260,000.
The research in Europe comes a few weeks after the regulatory body issued a warning about the risk of thyroid cancer linked to de Novo products containing semaglutide.