Weight-loss drugs, the road to digestive problems?

A recent study by researchers at Canada’s University of British Columbia has warned that popular weight-loss medications such as “Ozembic” increase the risk of digestive system problems.

Medications such as these which are used to regulate appetite and are based on the glucagon digestive hormone mimickers are more effective than older-generation drugs. Researchers found that patients treated with semaglutide or liraglutide, which are popular injectable medications for weight loss, were approximately nine times more at risk of developing pancreatitis, more than four times prone to intestinal obstruction and three times prone to gastroparesis.

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However, experts have emphasized that these side effects are rare and that they should not be compared to obesity’s health problems, which can be prevented by weight-loss.

Penny Ward, a professor of Pharmaceutical Medicine, stated that these drugs “should be used with caution, and only in patients at risk of the highest health risks or complications associated with obesity.” Dr Simon Cork from Anglia Ruskin University suggested tighter legislation to ensure that these medicines are only prescribed in appropriate circumstances.

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Ozambik’s use is authorized only to treat diabetes by American authorities, but the drug’s weight-loss properties have led many people to use it outside the recommendations. While Sexenda and Wegovi were authorized by the American health authorities for weight loss use in 2020 and 2021, respectively, the clinical trials to obtain the license did not sufficiently monitor digestive system risks, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia. However, more research is needed before these weight-loss medications can be banned or their use restricted.