Miranda Nazzaro and The Hill
6 hours ago
(The Hill) — People taking Ozempic or Wegovy may be at higher risk of a rare form of blindness, but further studies are needed before a final determination can be made, researchers said in a new study.
Released Wednesday The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed more than 16,800 Boston-area patients over the past six years, none of whom had the eye disease initially. Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (Nion).
NAOIN occurs when there is a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve, usually resulting in vision loss that, once it occurs, does not improve or worsen significantly.
The researchers looked specifically at subgroups of nearly 1,700 patients who were overweight or obese, or had diabetes, and compared the frequency of NAION in patients who were prescribed semaglutide, the component of Ozempic and Vigovy, with those who were not.
Both Ozempic and Wegovi are typically used in people with type 2 diabetes and for weight management.
The study found that of 194 people with type 2 diabetes who took semaglutide, 17 eventually developed NAION over the 36 months the researchers observed them – a diagnosis rate more than four times higher than in patients who were not prescribed semaglutide.
Among the obese people who took semaglutide, 20 developed NAION, eight times more likely than those who did not take the drug.
The researchers noted that this study suggests a link between semaglutide and NAION, but because it was an observational study based on existing data, further research is needed to determine whether semaglutide causes eye disease.
Novo Nordisk, the only US manufacturer of semaglutide medicines, noted that this was a single observational study and it was not possible to determine a causal relationship between NAION and semaglutide.
“Patient safety is a top priority for Novo Nordisk and we take very seriously all reports of adverse events resulting from the use of our medicines,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson wrote to The Hill.
The spokesperson added: “NAION is not an adverse drug reaction to any marketed formulation of semaglutide as described in the approved labelling.”
