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A recent observational study has raised concerns about a potential link between the GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy and an increased rate of suicidal thoughts.
The study, published Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from the World Health Organization’s database and reported a higher incidence of suicidal ideation associated with semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk A/S’ (NYSE:NVO) Wegovy and Ozempic, compared to other medications.
The researchers found a greater rate of reports of suicidal thoughts specifically related to semaglutide when compared to other diabetes and obesity treatments like AstraZeneca Plc’s (NASDAQ:AZN) Farxiga (dapagliflozin), metformin, and orlistat.
However, the overall rate of such thoughts was small, comprising only 0.3% of all adverse reactions for semaglutide when compared to 30,527 adverse reactions.
Notably, the study did not find an increased rate of more severe behaviors, such as suicide attempts or self-injury, linked to semaglutide.
Additionally, no higher rates of suicidal thoughts were associated with liraglutide, another GLP-1 drug from Novo Nordisk.
The researchers add that this is the first report examining the link between semaglutide and suicidal thoughts using this database.
The sensitivity analyses showed that the association remained significant when antidepressants or benzodiazepines were co-reported, suggesting a higher risk of suicidal ideation in patients with anxiety and depression taking semaglutide.
However, when excluding cases with co-reported antidepressants, the association was not significant, while it persisted when benzodiazepines were excluded.
This suggests a possible interaction between semaglutide and underlying psychiatric conditions that warrant further investigation.
Although the European Medicines Agency has not recommended updating the product information, the researchers propose adding a precaution for use in patients with psychiatric disorders to the semaglutide label.
Notably, the FDA label for semaglutide for obesity already advises monitoring for depression or suicidal thoughts.
Price Action: NVO stock is down 0.21% at $134.96 at the last check on Tuesday.
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