A recent study has raised concerns about the potential link between the diabetes medication Ozempic and an increased risk of a rare eye condition that can lead to vision loss. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that patients taking Ozempic had a higher incidence of diabetic retinopathy compared to those taking a placebo.
Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes that affects the blood vessels in the retina. If left untreated, it can lead to vision loss and even blindness. The findings of this study are significant as Ozempic is widely prescribed for managing blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Patients who took the drugs for weight loss were more than seven times more likely to be diagnosed with a stroke-like eye condition, known as NAION, than those taking other classes of drugs for obesity, according to the study of patient records. Those taking the drugs for diabetes were more than four times more likely to develop the rare ailment than people on other types of treatments, according to the results published Wednesday in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
The relatively small study examined the records of Massachusetts Eye and Ear patients. The low number of cases of the eye condition in people who took the drugs — 37 between both groups — limited the study’s statistical power, according to the paper. The findings don’t prove the medications caused the eye complication and must be replicated in larger studies involving more hospitals, the Harvard researchers and other experts said.
In people with type 2 diabetes, 17 NAION events occurred in patients prescribed semaglutide compared to six on other diabetes drugs.
Over three years, 8.9% people on semaglutide had NAION compared to 1.8% on the other drugs, the researchers found.
Meanwhile, in patients who were overweight or obese, 20 NAION events occurred in people prescribed semaglutide, compared to three on other drugs.
Over three years, 6.7% people on semaglutide had NAION compared to 0.8% on other drugs.
The labels for the drugs already include warnings about pancreatitis and certain types of bowel obstruction. A change in vision is also listed as a potential side effect for both Ozempic and Wegovy.
The U.S. study, which was published on Wednesday, analyzed data from 16,827 patients from December 2017 through to November last year. The researchers noted that further study is required to assess whether semaglutide causes the eye condition.
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