Novo Nordisk weight loss drug: Research finds that patients have increased suicidal tendencies after use, sparking safety controversy

The latest research findings have found that patients using Novo Nordisk's weight loss and diabetes drugs have a higher proportion of suicidal ideation, intensifying concerns in the medical community about the safety of these drugs.

On Tuesday, August 20th, Eastern Time, the results of this study were published in JAMA Network Open, a subsidiary of the American Medical Association. This study is the first to analyze reports of suicidal ideation in patients taking these drugs using the World Health Organization (WHO) global drug side effects database.

The study found that compared to other drugs, patients taking semaglutide were more likely to experience suicidal ideation. Novo Nordisk promotes the diabetes drug Ozempic and the weight loss drug Wegovy through semaglutide.

Following this news overnight on Tuesday, Novo Nordisk's US stocks were minimally affected, ultimately closing up 0.41%, with no significant post-market fluctuations.

The study authors suggest that doctors should be extra cautious when prescribing medication to patients with a history of depression

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not find evidence of suicidal ideation or behavior from drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy in an earlier preliminary assessment this year, the FDA stated that it cannot rule out a small risk and will continue to investigate. The European Medicines Agency's (EMA) risk assessment committee also concluded in April of this year that the drugs do not increase the risk of suicide or self-harm.

According to media reports, Novo Nordisk stated in an email declaration that the findings of the EMA and FDA are consistent with clinical trial data, and they are committed to collaborating with regulatory agencies to monitor the safety of the drugs, including monitoring data from ongoing studies and actual use.

However, the authors of the JAMA Network Open report acknowledge that the WHO database lacks key information, such as the duration of patient treatment, and the data may be biased due to reliance on self-reports from patients and doctors.

Francesco Salvo, a pharmacologist at the University of Bordeaux, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study results that the findings should prompt doctors to be more cautious when prescribing semaglutide to patients with a history of depression or suicide attempts. Stephen Evans, an honorary professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, believes that spontaneous reports from patients in the WHO database are highly susceptible to bias, including the influence of media reports, making the evidence weak and inconclusive.

In this study, the authors analyzed over 32 million potential side effect reports submitted to the WHO VigiBase database and found that reports of suicidal ideation and behavior related to semaglutide were 45% higher than other treatment methods, especially in patients concurrently using antidepressants However, Stephen Burgess from the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge reminded that these findings do not mean that Ozempic and Wegovy themselves are dangerous or can trigger suicidal thoughts, as significant weight loss itself may also have emotional effects. Burgess commented through the Science Media Centre:

"We need to figure out whether these results represent a specific side effect of these drugs, or a rare but tragic consequence for some people during the weight loss process."