Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic & Saxenda: Suicidal Thoughts Raise Concerns

Written by Reynaldo Mena — July 11, 2023
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The European Medicines Agency is investigating Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Saxenda after Iceland’s health regulator flagged three cases of patients thinking about suicide or self-harm.

Shares of the Danish drugmaker fell 1% on Monday following the news.

An European Medicines Agency, or EMA, safety committee is looking into adverse events raised by the Icelandic Medicines Agency, including two cases of suicidal thoughts in those who used Ozempic, which contains the active ingredient semaglutide, and Saxenda, the regulator said.

Another patient on Saxenda, Novo’s earlier and less effective weight-loss drug that contains the active ingredient liraglutide, reported thoughts of self-injury, the agency said.

Iceland’s drugs regulator did not immediately respond to requests for details.

Novo Nordisk said patient safety was top priority and it treated all reports about adverse events very seriously. Its own safety monitoring so far found no “causal association” between the self-harming thoughts and the drugs, it said in a statement.

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