Pancreatitis risk rises with popular weight loss drugs: study
Semaglutide and liraglutide use associated with a higher risk of gastrointestinal disorders versus bupropion–naltrexone, say Canadian researchers.
Patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss are nine times more likely to develop pancreatitis than those taking bupropion–naltrexone, Canadian researchers say.
Use of liraglutide (Saxenda) and semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) were also associated with a near fourfold increased risk of bowel obstruction and gastroparesis compared with the older fixed-dose combination treatment.
The University of British Columbia–led team analysed US patient prescription and diagnosis data from 2006 to 2020 to assess the risk of gastrointestinal adverse events with the weight loss drugs.
The cohort included 4144 liraglutide users, 613 semaglutide users and 654 taking bupropion–naltrexone (mean age range 45-54).
