5 percent on weight loss drugs suffer serious reaction

At least 5 percent of people taking a weight loss drug have suffered a serious reaction, and a small minority has died.

In the UK, around 3 million people are taking a GLP-1 drug, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro—and more than 150,000 of them have reported a serious reaction  to the UK’s drug regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Authority (MHRA).  The figures include 153 deaths.

Most reports have been from people taking Mounjaro (tirzepatide), manufactured by Eli Lilly.  More than 100,000 patients have reported serious side effects after taking the drug, and 98 deaths have also been associated with the drug.

The drug has become the front runner in the competitive weight loss drug market, and its manufacturer has revealed that sales have doubled this year.

The real extent of adverse reactions and deaths to the GLP-1 drugs may well be far worse than the figures suggest.  The MHRA relies on its Yellow Card system to monitor the safety of a drug, and it requires the active involvement of doctors who suspect the drug is to blame for a serious reaction and who are then willing to complete a Yellow Card.

It has been estimated that just 12 percent of drug reactions are ever recorded by the system.

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