Individuals taking GLP-1 drugs Ozempic and Wegovy had a slightly lower incidence of suicidal ideation than those taking other forms of weight loss drugs, a study published Jan. 5 in Nature found.
The study was conducted by the National Institute of Health. Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of the drugs, was not involved, The New York Times reported Jan 5.
Ozempic is designed to treat Type 2 diabetes. Wegovy, a higher dose of semaglutide, the same drug as Ozempic, is prescribed for weight loss.
In July, the European Medicines Agency began reviewing the drugs, after patients in Iceland taking the drug reported thoughts of suicide and self-harm. The agency said it had collected around 150 cases of reports of self-injury or suicidal thoughts.
Authors of the study told the Times the study is observational, so it cannot show cause or effect. More research is needed on the effects of the drugs, the authors told the Times.
Read more here.