"Patient safety is the MHRA's top priority and we continually monitor the safety and efficacy of all licensed medicines. For the vast majority of patients who are prescribed GLP-1s, they are safe and effective medicines, which deliver significant health benefits. The risk of developing these severe side effects is very small, but it is important that patients and healthcare professionals are aware and alert to the associated symptoms."
"To date, there have been 1,143 reports of acute and chronic pancreatitis to the yellow card scheme among patients taking semaglutide or tirzepatide, with 17 reported fatalities. Nearly all (973) were logged in 2025, of which 807 concerned tirzepatide and 166 semaglutide. To date, there have been 146 reports of acute and chronic pancreatitis from those taking liraglutide and 61 from those taking dulaglutide."
About 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used GLP-1 medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide between early 2024 and early 2025 for weight loss. Patient information leaflets list pancreatitis as an uncommon reaction, affecting about one in 100 patients. Acute pancreatitis causes sudden pancreatic inflammation with severe abdominal pain, nausea and fever and often requires hospital treatment. The MHRA updated guidance after increased reports to the yellow card scheme, recording 1,143 reports for semaglutide or tirzepatide with 17 fatalities, and additional reports for liraglutide and dulaglutide. Patients and healthcare professionals should be alert to symptoms, while most users gain significant health benefits.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]