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Newsweek
5 days ago
- Health
- Newsweek
Women on Weight-Loss Drugs Warned of Surprise 'Ozempic Babies'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Women taking popular weight-loss drugs have been urged to use effective contraception while taking the medication amid reports of a so-called "Ozempic babies" phenomenon. The advice was issued by the United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care, on Thursday. Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for comment via email. Why It Matters Demand for weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, has surged in the United States. In May 2024, a KFF Health Tracking Poll found that approximately 6 percent of American adults—about 15 million people—were using GLP-1 agonists such as Ozempic, either for diabetes treatment or weight loss. Some experts have cautioned that women should use effective contraception while taking these medications amid reports that they may be linked to an increase in unexpected pregnancies, The Guardian reported last May. A person injects Ozempic into their abdomen on October 10, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. A person injects Ozempic into their abdomen on October 10, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis/Getty Images What To Know The MHRA issued its alert after receiving 40 reports related to pregnancies while using "GLP-1 medicines," which are known by the brand names Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, Saxenda, and Victoza. Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, which mimics the GLP-1 hormone to increase insulin, slow digestion, and suppress appetite. Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, which acts on an additional hormone related to blood sugar and appetite control. The MHRA warned that Mounjaro may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in people who are overweight. It received 26 pregnancy-related reports for Mounjaro alone. "Therefore, those taking Mounjaro who are overweight and are using an oral form of contraception are advised to also use a non-oral form of contraception," the agency said. "This only applies to those taking Mounjaro and is especially important for the four weeks after starting Mounjaro and after any dose increase." Hundreds of women have shared personal accounts of unplanned pregnancies while using these medications in online groups, including the Facebook group "I got pregnant on Ozempic." "My ozempic baby...I see so many posts about ozempic and asking for "stories or side effects," but I never see anyone warning about pregnancy... lol," one woman shared on Facebook. "If you don't know, I got pregnant on ozempic and so many other women have too..I was on ozempic for 6 weeks & found out I was pregnant. I was so scared, google had me frightened I would miscarry because of the ozempic. I then came across a group called 'I got pregnant on ozempic'. I started reading all of these stories about women fighting infertility and getting pregnant on ozempic." The Food and Drug Administration has not yet issued similar advisories in the United States. What People Are Saying MHRA Chief Safety Officer Dr. Alison Cave said: "Skinny jabs are medicines licensed to treat specific medical conditions and should not be used as aesthetic or cosmetic treatments. They are not a quick fix to lose weight, and have not been assessed to be safe when used in this way. "Our guidance offers patients a 'one stop shop' for our up-to-date advice on how to use these powerful medicines safely. "This guidance should not be used as a substitute to reading the patient information leaflet or having a conversation with a healthcare professional as part of the prescribing process." Dr. Ilana Ressler, a reproductive endocrinologist at Illume Fertility, told Interesting Engineering on May 22: "There is this phenomenon of Ozempic what I think what's happening is women who may not have been ovulating before with the improvements that the medication is bringing on, that might be helping them to ovulate more regularly and they might be more likely to conceive while on the medication than not—so it is recommended to avoid pregnancy while taking the medication." Dr. Zuri A. Murrell, in a video on X last year: "There is nothing magical about the medicine that's in Ozempic that helps you get pregnant. But what it does is that a lot of times, when people can't, it's because of a hormone weight imbalance. "And so, when you lose weight, and sometimes when you lose weight rapidly, the hormones and the new you aren't in concert. Or they really are in concert, and guess what can happen, pregnancy. "So, it's not the Ozempic itself, it is actually the balancing out of your hormones. That means that you've lost fat, and that the body actually for you is working like it should. So just remember, Ozempic is not something that somebody takes and 'I'm pregnant.' What it does do is cause your body and hormone level to be more in sync and more likely that you can." What Happens Next It remains unclear whether the FDA will follow the MHRA's lead in issuing similar warnings or guidance on contraception.
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Wegovy Recalled as FDA Warns Weight Loss Product 'Inappropriately Released'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy is the subject of a limited voluntary recall after regulators warned that certain doses were "inappropriately released" following a shipping error. Why It Matters Wegovy has become a leading pharmaceutical option in the growing weight-loss drug market, prescribed widely to help individuals with obesity or weight-related medical problems. Wegovy has seen a significant rise in usage across the United States. A May 2024 Pharmaphorum report noted the drug was getting around 130,000 weekly prescriptions in the U.S., with more than 25,000 people starting on it per week. A 2024 survey indicated that about one in eight U.S. adults have taken GLP-1 class medications like Wegovy and Ozempic for weight loss and related conditions. Wegovy is produced by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Wegovy is produced by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images What To Know Cardinal Health, the distributor responsible for the affected batch, initiated the recall earlier this month, according to federal data. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classified the recall as a Class II event, indicating that the product could cause temporary or medically reversible health issues, or that the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote. The recalled lot, PZFDE06, was set to expire on August 31, 2025, and involved 48 cartons distributed in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Specifically, the 2.4 mg/0.75 mL dose in 4-single-dose prefilled pens was affected, according to the release. According to a post on the FDA website, the product was potentially exposed to temperatures outside of the products labeled storage conditions due to a shipping error involving a Cardinal Health distribution center. It specified that the product was removed from refrigerated storage for an extended period of time and "inappropriately released." Proper storage conditions are critical to maintaining the safety effectiveness of semaglutide, Wegovy's active ingredient. Exposure to temperatures outside recommended limits can degrade the drug, potentially reducing its efficacy, according to experts. Newsweek contacted the recalling firm for comment via email on Tuesday. What People Are Saying Alex Miras, professor of endocrinology at Ulster University in Northern Ireland, told Newsweek: "This is a peptide hormone, so its effectiveness may be reduced at higher temperatures." What Happens Next At the time of writing, the recall was listed on the FDA's website as ongoing. Separately, Newsweek reported earlier in April that two Proactiv acne treatment products were voluntarily recalled across the U.S. after tests revealed the presence of benzene, a known human carcinogen. The recall, initiated by Alchemee LLC, affected over 41,000 units of Proactiv Emergency Blemish Relief and Proactiv Skin Smoothing Exfoliator.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Medicare Will Not Cover GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss
Wegovy; Zepbound Credit - Steve Christo—Corbis/Getty Images; Shelby Knowles—Bloomberg/Getty Images The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced—without explanation—that it would not proceed with a proposal initiated by the Biden Administration to cover weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound for its beneficiaries. Medicare and Medicaid recipients can be reimbursed for the medications to treat diabetes, but currently the anti-obesity versions of these drugs will not be covered. As an obesity treatment, Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk, comes with a slightly higher dose for treating obesity than doses for diabetes; the medication is otherwise the same. For Zepbound, developed by Lilly, it's the same drug and administered in the same dose as Mounjaro, which is used to treat diabetes. The Biden proposal would have included coverage of Wegovy and Zepbound to treat obesity under Medicare Part D for Medicare Advantage. 'While today's announcement was limited, we hope that with the confirmation of the new CMS director, the Trump Administration will move forward to finalize the definition of obesity. It is essential that CMS regulations are aligned with current medical science—and that means recognizing obesity as a serious chronic disease,' a spokesperson from Novo Nordisk said in a statement to TIME. A Lilly spokesperson said in a statement to TIME that the company 'is disappointed in the MA-Part D rule because it is not the best reading of the statute and impacts patient access to obesity treatments,' referring to the program that allows enrollees to receive coverage of prescription drugs, including through private plans and through Medicare Advantage. 'We will continue to work with the Trump Administration and Congressional leaders to ensure people living with obesity are covered by Medicare and Medicaid and are no longer left behind.' The decision not to expand coverage to include obesity treatment would mean nearly 7.5 million Medicare and Medicaid recipients won't be reimbursed for the drug to help them lose weight. Government health care financing analysts noted in Sept. 2024 that the high cost of the drugs would result in higher government spending with 'little information on longer-term effects of the drugs.' However, health experts have raised concerns that denying coverage could lead to additional health costs for insurers, as scientists are discovering that the drugs come with many other health benefits. The drugs have already received additional indications from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to lower the risk of heart disease and obstructive sleep apnea. And researchers are currently studying them for other benefits as well, including reducing the risk of kidney, liver, and brain diseases like Alzheimer's and addiction. Contact us at letters@
