“Of course it’s worrying and, by being honest today, obviously I want to warn people reading this of the potential risks, to make sure they do their research. But seriously, I’m that sick I’d probably stay on it until the sight in one eye has completely gone.”
Safety ‘a top priority’
Researchers from Harvard Medical School reported a potential link between the drug semaglutide – known better by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – and a condition causing vision impairment.
The researchers found that patients taking the drug for type 2 diabetes were four times more likely to be diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (Naion), a rare and untreatable eye condition that constricts blood flow to the optic nerve.
The study, which analysed more than 17,000 patients over six years, was published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology in July last year.
Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures the drug, insisted patient safety was “a top priority” and the study had limitations, including its failure to consider whether patients smoked.
A spokesman said “Naion is not listed as a known adverse drug reaction. Semaglutide has been studied in large real-world evidence studies and robust clinical development programmes.”
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