Serious harms from GLP-1 drugs aren't well understood : NPR

Key Points:

• Todd Engel, who took the diabetes drug Ozempic (a GLP-1), suffered irreversible vision loss due to NAION, a rare optic neuropathy linked to the drug, but neither he nor his doctor were initially warned about this risk.
• A 2023 JAMA Ophthalmology study showed higher rates of NAION among diabetic patients on Ozempic, but medical groups caution that the evidence shows correlation, not causation, and recommend further research before changing treatment protocols.
• Over 1,000 adverse event reports of optic neuropathy linked to GLP-1 drugs have been filed with the FDA since 2024, though the agency has yet to mandate warning label changes; Novo Nordisk disputes the claims and cites rarity of serious side effects in trials.
• Legal actions are underway, with over 247 plaintiffs alleging NAION and thousands more reporting other serious side effects like pancreatitis, arguing that drug manufacturers failed to adequately warn patients and doctors despite evidence from Europe and real-world use.
• Challenges in attributing side effects to GLP-1 drugs are compounded by the complexity of underlying diseases, underreporting to the FDA, and the rise of unsupervised online drug sales, prompting calls for better monitoring and clearer warnings to protect patients.