AUSTRALIAN WOMAN DIES MONTHS AFTER TAKING WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS
A woman has died from what her family believes was a fatal side effect of the weight-loss drug Ozempic.
Trish Webster, 56, from Australia, was not diabetic but was prescribed the drug off-label to help her lose weight ahead of her daughter's wedding.
She lost 16kg on Ozempic and then Saxenda over five months — while suffering from constant nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
In January this year, however, the mother collapsed at home with a 'brown substance' foaming from her mouth. Her husband Roy did CPR and rolled her onto her side to help her breathe and save her, but she was pronounced dead that evening.
Doctors recorded her cause of death as 'acute gastrointestinal illness,' noting Ozempic has been known to cause fatal intestine blockages.
Mr Webster has called for a full inquiry into his wife's death, saying he believes Ozempic may have been the cause.
According to 60 Minutes Australia,She went back a couple of times to the doctor saying she was sick and she had diarrhea and nausea.
'But she didn't stop taking it because my daughter was getting married and she just kept mentioning that dress that she wanted to wear.
'She went to the dressmaker to get the measurements. It was one big nightmare from there.'
Mrs Webster had previously tried going to the gym and dieting to shed some weight, but both had been un-successful.
She was on Ozempic for three months but then switched to Saxenda — also made by Novo Nordisk — when she couldn't get the drug because of major shortages.
Ozempic and Saxenda work by mimicking a hormone in the body that tells someone they are full in order to suppress hunger, prompting patients to eat less and start to lose weight.
The drugs also slow the passage of food through the stomach and small intestine, also helping someone to feel full for longer.
The FDA says this raises the risk of someone suffering ileus, a medical condition where the intestines become partially or completely blocked
Patients with the condition are at a higher risk of bowel perforation — or a break in the intestines — or sepsis — where the immune system goes haywire and attacks the body's cells — which can be fatal.
Warning signs of ileus include major abdominal pain and bloating, vomiting, severe constipation and cramps.
Dr Michael Camilleri, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, told DailyMail.com Mrs Webster's case was a 'cautionary tale' for patients on Ozempic and its sister drugs.
Ozempic uses semaglutide to suppress appetite and slow the digestive system, making people feel full even after a very small meal.
Saxenda works in a similar way but uses a different drug called liraglutide.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk say the complication of ileus was only spotted after 'post-marketing authorization', or when the drug was rolled out to shelves.
A spokesman for the FDA said they continue to monitor for potential side-effects from Ozempic.
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