Weight loss jabs like Mounjaro now linked to more than a HUNDRED deaths, the UK's drug watchdog confirms
Slimming jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy have been linked to more than 100 deaths in Britain, it was revealed today.
None of the fatalities, which have all been reported since the jabs were licensed for use in the UK, are proven to have been caused directly by the drugs.
However, health chiefs tasked with policing the safety of medicines admit reports of side effects indicate 'a suspicion' they may have been to blame.
A total of 111 deaths were logged with the regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), up to and including May 29.
These are based on patients' families or healthcare workers informing the MHRA of a suspected fatal reaction to the drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).
It comes just months after the death Scottish nurse Susan McGowan, 58, who experienced multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis after taking just two doses of Mounjaro.
Hers is the only confirmed fatality linked to the jabs in the UK.
But it comes at a time when ministers are planning to rollout the jabs—described as game changers in the fight against obesity— to even more Britons.
The deaths may also be caused by underlying medical conditions or other medications taken at the same time and therefore can be coincidental the MHRA told trade magazine Chemist+Druggist.
Officials use the MHRA's 'Yellow Card' database, set-up in the wake of the 1960s thalidomide scandal, to track the safety of medications currently in use in Britain.
Although almost impossible to prove, the system allows doctors, pharmacists and patients to report adverse reactions they believe are linked to medications and allows officials to uncover potential patterns.
The weight-loss medication linked to the most deaths, in the system was liraglutide—sold under the brand name Saxenda—with 37 reports of a fatal outcome.
In second place was tirzepatide—sold as Mounjaro and once hailed the 'King Kong' of slimming jabs—with 33 deaths.
And in third place was semaglutide—the active ingredient in the weight loss jab Wegovy as well diabetes drug Ozempic—which was linked to 30 deaths.
A further seven reports were liked to dulaglutide—known as Trulicity—and five to lixisenatide—which has the trade name Lyxumia.
Of the total fatal reports, 32 involved jabs indicated for 'weight management alone or 'only licensed for weight management—Mounjaro, Saxenda, Wegovy'.
Meanwhile, 40 reports related to drugs with an indication for 'diabetes alone'.
Another nine referred to patients getting the jab for 'both weight management or diabetes'.
While 30 reported a fatal outcome 'with an indication other than weight management or diabetes, or where no indication has been reported', the watchdog told Chemist+Druggist.
Last year, medics warned they were seeing a wave of patients of healthy weight taking the drugs in a bid to become 'beach-body ready'.
Such patients, mostly young women, were landing in A&E after obtaining the drugs online under false pretences.
Currently, patients can obtain the drugs from many chemists by filling in online forms with details of their weight and height and submitting photographs of themselves.
However, experts and organisations such as the Society for Acute Medicine have called for tighter restrictions on how Ozempic, Mounjaro and other weight-loss products are prescribed.
A spokesperson for Lilly UK, the makers of Mounjaro, said patient safety is its 'top priority'.
It added: 'Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine and Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data.'
'If anyone is experiencing side effects when taking any Lilly medicine, they should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional.'
There has been growing concern after reports of side effects from the drugs.
These include including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, bone fractures, tooth damage, severe anxiety and depression.
Earlier this month, women reported terrifying mental health side effects after using Mounjaro.
The jab, along with similar treatments such as Ozempic and Wegovy, can help patients lose up to 15 per cent of their body weight in a year.
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