More than 200 deaths suspected of being linked to weight-loss jabs reported to MHRA

More than 200 deaths suspected of being linked to weight-loss jabs have been reported to the MHRA, alongside more than 158,000 adverse reactions.

Anyone who suspects an adverse reaction is linked to a medicine can report it to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s Yellow Card Scheme.

Data from the scheme show 106,189 adverse reactions and 120 deaths reported in connection with tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Mounjaro.

Reported reactions include gastrointestinal problems, meaning conditions affecting the stomach and digestive system.

A further 48,089 reactions and 59 deaths have been reported as suspected of being linked to semaglutide.

Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the weight-loss medicine Wegovy and is also used in the diabetes treatments Ozempic and Rybelsus.

For liraglutide, sold under the brand name Saxenda and under different brand names to treat diabetes, 4,491 adverse reactions and 37 deaths have been reported as suspected of being linked to the medicine.

Together, the three medicines account for 216 reported deaths where a possible link was suspected.

The regulator said adverse reactions and deaths reported through the Yellow Card Scheme do not necessarily mean a medicine caused them, only that the person making the report suspected a possible connection.

An MHRA spokesperson said: “It is important to place these reports in the context of the millions of GLP-1 prescriptions issued in the UK.

“Reporting volumes can be influenced by increased use, greater awareness of a potential adverse reaction and other factors.

“As with all medicines, the safety of GLP-1s are kept under continual review including emerging evidence from spontaneous data and scientific publications.

“Any potential updates regarding the safety for these medicines would be promptly communicated to patients and healthcare professionals, and appropriate steps taken to mitigate any identified risk.

“On the basis of the current evidence, the benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists outweigh the potential risks when used in line with their authorised uses.”

Health secretary Yvette Cooper told LBC Radio: “We have a whole system of health safety regulations in place where experts will do monitoring of any adverse impacts, of any safety reports, any concerns that are raised.

“And the good thing about the fact that we have a National Health Service means that all of those reports can be collected together – all of them can be monitored.

“And we ensure that those experts, the expert regulators, are monitoring that at all times and making sure if there are any wider concerns, if there are any issues that need to be raised, then they are brought to the health secretary, to health ministers, as well as to the public, to make sure that safety is always paramount.”