The UK Medicines Regulator has launched a probe in the safety of Vetjabs after hundreds of British have developed pancreatitis, leaving ten people behind.
Officials investigate whether those affected have a genetic trait that leaves them a greater risk of side effects of Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that it has received more than 560 reports from people who develop an inflamed pork after taking so-called ‘GLP-1’ injections since they were first launched. Ten cases turned out to be fatal.
These drugs are usually known as ‘fat jabs’ or ‘lean jabs’ because they are often used for weight management, but some mainly have a license for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
The MHRA now calls for users who are admitted to the hospital with pancreatitis to report the side effect to authorities using the yellow card schedule of the regulator.
Health workers can also submit a report on behalf of patients.
When a yellow card report is received, the MHRA will contact patients to ask if they are willing to participate in the new Biobank study, in collaboration with Genomics England.
This would mean that further information is provided and the submission of a saliva sample that will be used to investigate whether some people run a higher risk of acute pancreatitis when taking these medicines because of their genetic makeup.
Susan McGowan, 58, from Lanarkshire, died of several organ failure last year, septic shock and pancreatitis after taking two low dose of Tirzepatide injections
Researchers hope that this will ultimately enable doctors to use rapid genetic screening tests before they prescribe medicines to make the process safer.
Side effects remain a significant burden for the NHS and studies have shown that they represent one in six hospital admissions.
The most important symptom of pancreatitis is severe stomach pain that shines to the back and does not disappear. Everyone who experiences this must seek immediate medical help.
Dr. Alison Cave, Chief Safety Officer of MHRA, said: ‘Proof shows that almost a third of the side effects for medicines can be prevented with the introduction of genetic tests.
‘It is predicted that side effects of the drug reactions can cost the NHS more than £ 2.2 billion a year in hospital enclosures.
‘Information from the Yellow Card Biobank will help us to better predict the most risks of side effects – with which patients in the UK can receive the safest medicine for them, based on their genetic makeup.
‘To help us, we ask everyone who is admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis while we use a GLP-1 drug to report this to us via our yellow card schedule.
“Even if you do not meet the criteria for this phase of the biobank study, information about your response to a medication is always extremely valuable in improving patient safety.”
GLP-1 agonists can lower blood sugar levels in people who live with type 2 diabetes and can also be prescribed to support some people with weight loss.
Recent estimates suggest that around 1.5 million people in the UK Jabs decrease, many of which are purchased privately because of NHS rationing.
Health officials have suggested that they can help to turn the tide on obesity, but have emphasized that they are not a silver bullet and have side effects.
Most side effects linked to the Jabs are gastrointestinal, including nausea, constipation and diarrhea.
However, the medical regulator has recently warned that Mounjaro can make the oral contraceptive pill less effective in some patients.
The MHRA said it was informed of 181 cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to Tirzepatide – the active ingredient for Mounjaro.
Five people died of this.
There are 116 reported reactions of this kind of linked to Liraglutide, one of which was fatal, and 113 cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to Semaglutide – the active ingredient for Ozempic and Wegovy, with one death.
About 101 reactions reported from this type are linked to exenatide, with three dead, and 52 reported reactions from this type linked to Dulaglutide and 11 reported responses to Lixisate.
There were no fatalities of pancreatitis linked to the last two medicines.
Further reactions and deaths are linked to other side effects after the use of GLP-1 drugs.
The MHRA emphasizes that it has not been established that the Jabs caused the diseases, but that the patients themselves have reported them as side effects.
Professor Matt Brown, Chief Scientific Officer of Genomics England, said: ‘GLP-1 medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy have reached the headlines, but like all medicines there can be a risk of serious side effects.
‘We believe that there is really potential to minimize it with many side effects with a genetic cause.
“This next step in our partnership with the MHRA will generate data and evidence for safer and more effective treatment through more personalized recipe approaches to support a shift to an increasingly prevention -oriented health care system.”
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