An Australian woman died on January 16, 2023, from an acute stomach illness after taking the drugs Ozempic and Saxenda with the intent of losing weight to fit into a dress for her daughter’s wedding.
Roy Webster found his wife Trish, 56, unresponsive with a brown discharge from her mouth and attempted resuscitation to no avail. He attributes her sudden death to drugs. His wife had lost about 35 pounds over five months before the incident.
The medications, which are primarily prescribed for treating type 2 diabetes, are also known to aid in weight reduction by slowing down digestion and increasing the feeling of fullness. However, they carry risks, including a severe condition known as ileus, where digestion is excessively decelerated. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has registered 18 reports of ileus in connection with Ozempic use.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, has said that reports of ileus surfaced only after the drug was made available to the public, indicating that this risk was not previously known.
The FDA has documented common side effects for Ozempic, including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and constipation. Serious risks extend to acute kidney injury and gallbladder disease, with rare cases linked to increased heart rates. However, no specific warnings from the FDA have connected Ozempic to death as a result of weight loss.
Recent studies have indicated that weight loss drugs containing semaglutide, like Ozempic and Wegovy, may increase the risk of serious stomach problems when used for weight management. Compared to those who took Contrave, another weight management medication, people on Ozempic or Wegovy were nine times more likely to develop pancreatitis and four times as likely to have bowel obstruction or gastroparesis.
These severe side effects were rare but affected around 1% of Ozempic users for gastroparesis.
Roy Webster’s allegations against the pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have added to the growing concerns about the safety of these drugs.