Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy Could Have Linked Anesthesia Complications, European Medicines Agency To Investigate

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is set to address concerns related to patients taking drugs such as Novo Nordisk A/S's NVO Wegovy, Ozempic, and their counterparts potentially experiencing complications during anesthesia that could lead to pneumonia. 

Earlier, the European Union and the U.K. initiated examining the safety data of Ozempic (semaglutide) and Saxenda (liraglutide), medications for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss, respectively, following reports of suicidal or self-harming tendencies from some patients.

The PRAC's discussions will also encompass other GLP-1 drugs, including Mounjaro and Trulicity by Eli Lilly And Co LLY and those made by AstraZeneca Plc AZN and Sanofi SA SNY.

The EMA's Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) is slated to discuss this issue as part of its regular monthly meetings. 

The PRAC's agenda includes a new "signal of aspiration and pneumonia aspiration" associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists, a class of drugs used for weight loss and diabetes treatment. 

This signal has raised concerns about stomach contents entering the respiratory tract during surgery, even when patients have fasted as required before procedures, Reuters noted.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are known to slow gastric emptying, a mechanism linked to their appetite-suppressing effects. This delay in gastric emptying has prompted the American Society of Anesthesiologists to recommend that patients on GLP-1 drugs avoid taking them on the day of anesthesia or a week before a scheduled procedure.