Ozempic and similar drugs linked to gastrointestinal conditions: B.C. researchers – CTV
Oct. 6, 2023
People using diabetes drugs such as Ozempic for weight loss are at higher risk of pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and stomach paralysis compared to those who use another medication approved specifically for obesity management, a University of British Columbia study suggests.
Researchers examined a random sample of health insurance claim records of 16 million patients in the United States between 2006 and 2020 for use of semaglutide drugs, the active ingredient in Ozempic and other medications, as well as liraglutide, in Victoza.
The study, published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), excluded patients with diabetes. It compared gastrointestinal harms among people with a history of obesity taking either of the two different types of diabetes drugs with those using the weight-loss pill bupropion-naltrexone, sold under the brand name Contrave. It was approved in the United States in 2014 and in Canada four years later.
