Pancreatitis cases linked to weight loss jabs
Ireland's medicines watchdog has confirmed a number of reports of pancreatitis linked to weight loss jabs.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are under review in the UK after a spike in adverse reactions.
Advertisement
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) said the number of Irish cases is very low, but people should consult their doctor if they are concerned.
HSE national clinical lead for obesity, Professor Donal O'Shea, said it is important people use these drugs under medical supervision.
Prof O'Shea said: "The main side effects are gastrointestinal and that's around nausea, vomiting, constipation, but they can cause unsteadiness and dizziness.
"And I've certainly seen people coming into hospital having had falls on these treatements, and again the advice is not to take these unless they are prescribed by a healthcare professional."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Pharmacists may be handed power to prescribe Ozempic on NHS
Pharmacists could be given powers to prescribe Ozempic on the NHS under new plans to tackle Britain's obesity crisis. Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, is looking at expanding the list of medics who are able to hand out the jab beyond GPs. The proposals will form part of a 10-year plan to boost the nation's health, which will be unveiled by Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday. Under the plans, the role of pharmacies in treating more minor conditions will be ramped up to make them a 'major player on NHS front line'. They will be given extra powers to help more patients who are suffering from issues like obesity, asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes. Mr Streeting said: 'I'm determined to get the care you need as close as possible to your home and, as pillars of our communities, pharmacies will play a vital role. 'The nation's high streets will join the front line of NHS care, as pharmacists get far more power to prescribe and manage a range of health conditions. Our Plan for Change will give patients greater choice and access to the right care, so your healthcare fits around your life – not the other way round.' Officials confirmed that, as part of the plans, they are exploring giving high street pharmacists the power to prescribe Ozempic over the counter. Ozempic, and a number of other similar products in its class, can currently only be given out on the NHS by a GP or a hospital clinician. This month, the health service announced that it would start prescribing Mounjaro, another weight-loss drug, for free to severe obesity sufferers. Around 250,000 people with a BMI of 40 or over and at least four conditions relating to obesity, including high blood pressure or heart disease, will benefit. Britons can also buy Ozempic from licensed online pharmacies, which have prescribing powers, but it typically costs around £200 a month. Originally designed as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes, it has exploded in popularity recently after being adopted by celebrities and politicians. However, some former users have warned people against taking the jabs because of the side-effects, which can include nausea and vomiting. Under the new plans, pharmacists will also be encouraged to help obesity sufferers by offering them dietary counselling and lifestyle advice. Treating obesity costs the NHS around £11 billion a year and rising, which Mr Streeting has warned risks making the health service 'unsustainable'. Rates have doubled since the 1990s, including amongst the young, with more than one in five children now obese by the time they leave primary school. £215 million is wasted every year The Health Secretary is leading a push to divert patients with less serious conditions away from GP surgeries and hospitals to alleviate pressure on the NHS. High street pharmacies will have their role in delivering vaccination programmes and screening for risk of cardiovascular disease expanded. National Pharmacy Association research, released on Sunday, found that six million hours of A&E time could be saved every year by redirecting people. It said 325,000 people attended a hospital in 2023-24 with a sore throat or cold, 18,000 with insect bites and 196,000 with urinary tract infections. The NPA has estimated that £215 million is wasted every year treating patients in A&E when they could have attended a pharmacy instead. Ministers also plan to roll out the introduction of medicine-dispensing robots in high streets to free up pharmacists to spend more time with patients. Such robots are used in Singapore, which Mr Streeting visited last year on a fact-finding mission about the use of technology in health services.
Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Huge numbers opt out of Ireland's organ donation scheme in four days
Almost 30,000 people chose to opt out of donating their organs in the first four days of a new scheme coming into force. They added their names to the opt-out register as soon as the Human Tissue Act 2024 came into effect last Tuesday, with 29,394 listed by Friday afternoon. The new legislation means everyone in the state agrees to be a potential organ donor when they die, unless they choose to opt out instead. There are about 676 people in Ireland in need of an organ donation. If someone's organs are eligible for donation, their next of kin will first be consulted before any action is taken. If their consent is not given for the donation, it will not proceed. The national organ donation opt-out register is on the HSE website. Alan Gaffney, clinical lead for organ donation at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, explained that only people who died in an intensive care unit on a ventilator following a brain stem or cardiac death were eligible organ donors. He said he expected the legislative change would bring about only a minimal increase in the number of donations. 'We don't expect there to be too much change within the ICU [intensive care unit] to what we normally do. The only change would be a step whereby we check the register to make sure that somebody hasn't put their name on it before we approach that family. Other than that, everything else essentially remains the same,' Gaffney said. He said the introduction of the opt-out system would not in itself lead to an increase in the availability of organs for donation. 'We don't expect it will make a difference. Spain has the highest organ donation rate in the world, [and] has been leading this for many, many years, and they are very clear about what increases organ donation rates. That is essentially having key organ donation personnel embedded in ICUs, and having an audit of all potential deaths in that ICU,' Gaffney said, adding that the national office for clinical audit was active in six hospitals across the country. The audit involves reviewing all ICU deaths to determine if somebody was an organ donor or could have been a donor. 'It's very rare to die in circumstances where you could be an organ donor. There are only around 80 deceased organ donations per year in Ireland. Because it's rare, you need to have people who are trained in the ICU to be able to detect those who could be potential organ donors,' he said. In a statement, a spokeswoman for the HSE said people could also remove themselves from the opt-out register at any time. 'The act also provides a framework for living donation and for the first time will provide a way for people who wish to donate a kidney to someone they don't personally know, the opportunity to do so [known as non-directed altruistic donation],' she said. Maureen O'Donnell, chief executive of the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association, said it was critical that the wider system of carrying out transplants was examined after the changes. 'We hope that it will result in more organs being available for transplant to patients who desperately need them. Lung fibrosis patients represent the largest pool of lung transplant candidates now that cystic fibrosis can be controlled through medication and we have many patients on the transplant list who are called into the hospital multiple times, only to return home disappointed because there wasn't a match,' she said. Colin White, national advocacy and projects manager at the Irish Kidney Association, noted that Wales introduced an opt-out system in 2015, which was then implemented by the rest of the UK. 'It hasn't been a massive game-changer in terms of the bottom line,' White said, adding that only 1 per cent of all deaths were in circumstances where organ donation was possible. 'This doesn't suddenly open up a massive pool that wasn't accessible before.'
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Three out of five anorexia patients at top eating disorders clinic tell docs they've been using weight-loss jabs like Ozempic or Mounjaro - including children as young as SIXTEEN
Sixty per cent of patients at a leading clinic seeking help for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia are using weight-loss jabs. A growing number of patients with the potentially life-threatening conditions have admitted to doctors during therapy sessions that they are taking Wegovy, Mounjaro or Ozempic to control their weight, says rehab specialist The UKAT Group. Doctors at its Banbury Lodge clinic in Banbury, Oxfordshire, say 28 out of the 48 patients they have treated for eating disorders this year – nearly two-thirds – were using the powerful drugs, which can reduce bodyweight by up to 20 per cent. Some patients were as young as 16, the doctors add. Experts at the clinic say the problem has significantly worsened in six months. Last year, no patient was using the jabs. The revelation raises fresh concerns about how easy it is to get hold of the drugs, and the lack of effective safeguards. They are only licensed for use on the NHS by people who are obese and have weight-related health problems – but there is a huge private market for the treatments and a spiralling black market. Dimitri Theofili, eating disorder therapist at Banbury Lodge, said: 'What we're seeing is really concerning. Clients as young as 16 are revealing during therapy that they are misusing weight-loss injections to fuel their unhealthy relationship with food. 'This is all about psychological control – the need to control what they're putting into their body. Society's acceptance of weight- loss jabs to tackle weight loss rather than their main intended purpose – to help control type 2 diabetes or to tackle clinical obesity – has fuelled this notion that if you're not using a weight- loss jab to lose weight, then you're falling behind.' Campaigners said last night that urgent action needs to be taken to restrict use of the jabs to protect vulnerable people. Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at the UK's eating disorder charity Beat, said the statistics are 'very concerning'. 'These medications are extremely dangerous for people with eating disorders because they can worsen harmful eating behaviours and thoughts for people who are unwell, or contribute to an eating disorder developing in those who are at risk,' he said. 'It should be mandatory for thorough mental health assessments to be carried out alongside physical health checks, and for regular check-ins if someone is prescribed weight-loss drugs, including once the course of treatment is over.' Some 500,000 people in Britain are thought to be taking Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, most via private prescriptions. Concerns have been raised about the lack of safeguards around such prescriptions. Little is known about the safety of the jabs for people of normal weight – let alone those with eating disorders who may already be severely underweight. If you're worried about your own or someone else's health you can contact Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677 or at
