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A startling report has uncovered a troubling trend: weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro have been linked to 162 deaths in the United States over the past six years. These findings, based on data from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), paint a concerning picture about the potential risks associated with these popular medications.
According to the report, the number of deaths where these weight loss drugs were mentioned has risen by a staggering 40% in the past six months alone. This surge in fatalities raises questions about the safety and proper regulation of these medications, which have gained widespread popularity in recent years for their purported weight loss benefits.
One tragic case involved a 45-year-old woman who choked on her vomit while using Mounjaro, a competing drug to Ozempic. Another case involved a 23-year-old man who died from vomiting, nausea, and a rapid heart rate after taking Wegovy, a sister medication to Ozempic.
Juanita Gantt, a Pennsylvania woman, is suing the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, claiming that the drugs nearly took her life. Gantt was found unconscious by her husband and rushed to the hospital, where doctors discovered she had a severe case of colitis requiring the removal of her colon.
Similarly, Trish Webster, a 56-year-old Australian woman, died after using Ozempic to lose weight before her daughter's wedding. Her family claims the medication was the cause of her gastrointestinal illness.
While the report acknowledges that none of the deaths have been explicitly proven to be caused by the semaglutide injections, the data suggests that these drugs were a contributing factor in the fatalities.
The FAERS database documents a total of 62,000 adverse reactions associated with weight loss medications containing semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are the active ingredients found in medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. A staggering 10,000 of these reactions were classified as "serious," meaning the patient was hospitalized or suffered a life-threatening event.
Dr. Adam Rubinstein, a plastic surgeon in Miami, Florida, expressed surprise at the high fatality figures, stating that he rarely hears of significant complications in patients taking these medications. However, he acknowledged that the association between the drugs and the reported deaths may be "fairly loose."
As the popularity of these weight loss drugs continues to soar, with an estimated 15.5 million Americans having tried them, the need for thorough investigation and stricter regulation becomes increasingly apparent. The revelations in this report underscore the importance of closely monitoring the safety of these medications and ensuring that their potential risks are clearly communicated to both healthcare providers and the public.
