Drug regulators in Europe have found no evidence that popular diabetes and weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are linked to a higher risk of suicidal thoughts or actions.
This was announced by the Regulatory Committee of the European Medicines Agency Results of his review on Friday. This is the latest group to conclude that there is no known link between a new class of obesity drugs and suicide.
In January, the US Food and Drug Administration declared a Preliminary examination showed no evidence of such a link, although the agency said it could not rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that it would continue to investigate the issue. A US study funded by the federal government also found that people taking semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, had a lower risk of suicidal thoughts than those taking older medications used to treat diabetes and obesity.
The review by European Union regulators was sparked last July by anecdotal reports that people who used the drugs had thoughts of self-harm. Regulators examined studies, post-marketing data and other research related to drugs used in nearly a dozen drugs to treat the diseases. The group did not review information on tirzepatide, the drug used in medicines sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Both agencies said they would continue to closely monitor reports of suicidal thoughts or actions in people taking drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Patients taking the medications should report their mental health or other issues to their health care provider, officials said.