Debates are swirling about surgery disruptions, a baby boom phenomenon and additional uses for Ozempic and other glucagon-like peptide-1 medicines.
Four updates on the Type 2 diabetes drug:
1. After taking prescribed GLP-1s — including Ozempic — several reports came out about patients aspirating and regurgitating during surgery because of delayed gastric emptying. In response, clinicians told their patients to halt their last GLP-1 dose before an elective procedure.
About 10 months after the American Society of Anesthesiologists released its guidance, studies from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles and Stanford Medicine in Palo Alto, Calif., have uncovered contrasting findings.
Cedars-Sinai researchers reviewed nearly 1 million records of patients who underwent upper or lower endoscopy procedures. They found those prescribed GLP-1s were 33% more likely to experience aspiration pneumonia than other patients. In a study from Stanford Medicine, no risk of postoperative respiratory complications was found.
2. As scientists investigate a plethora of potential indications for GLP-1s, from fatty liver disease to addiction, physicians estimate up to 15% of people are non-responders. For patients who do see strong weight loss results, a trend dubbed the "Ozempic baby boom" is gaining national attention.
The baby boom is a phenomenon of GLP-1 patients becoming pregnant unexpectedly. A causal relationship has not been confirmed, but experts say weight loss drugs could cause birth control failures or affect ovulation and fertility. Weight loss can also improve fertility in some patients.
"The 'oops' babies on Ozempic and Wegovy are happening all over the place," Melanie Cree-Green, MD, PhD, director of the polycystic ovary syndrome clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado in Aurora, told Bloomberg. "It's very exciting, but it's a bit scary because we're moving forward without all the data."
3. Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, has faced backlash from clinicians and legislators after researchers discovered the injectable could be manufactured for between 89 cents and $4.73 per month. Its current list price is about $1,000 for a four-week supply.
Physicians who specialize in obesity say the high cost and limited coverage is disproportionately affecting those who most need the medications, including people in racial and ethnic minority groups.
4. One of Ozempic's leading competitors, Eli Lilly's Zepbound and Mounjaro, are in shortage because of high demand. Weight loss medication Zepbound might soon see a label expansion after Eli Lilly found promising results on the drug as a potential sleep apnea therapy.