'Ozempic babies' warning issued as women taking weight loss jab issued vital advice
Women taking injections similar to Ozempic, Wegovy, or Mounjaro are being warned to take extra care when it comes to contraception.
GLP-1 medications - like Wegovy and Mounjaro - have boomed in popularity, helping people shed some pounds. So, too, has Ozempic, though the drug is only FDA-approved to treat Type-2 diabetes, not purely as a weight loss injection.
They work by mimicking the natural GLP-1 hormone, which helps regulate blood sugar and hunger levels, as well as slow digestion, according to Harvard Health.
Meanwhile, tirzepatide, which is the active ingredient in Mounjaro, works in a similar fashion, as well as with an additional hormone called glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP).
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Now, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued its first official warning to those taking the medications who are also on birth control.
It comes as growing numbers of users are reporting unexpected pregnancies despite being on birth control, as the MHRA has received over 40 reports of pregnancies in women taking these types of injections so far - leading to what has been dubbed 'Ozempic babies' (via ITV News).
These include 26 cases linked to Mounjaro, eight related to semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) and nine tied to liraglutide (used in Saxenda and Victoza).
In particular, it's believed Mounjaro may reduce the effectiveness of the pill in people who are overweight.
The UK's MHRA advises women on the pill to also use condoms, especially during the first four weeks of treatment and after increasing the dose.
They also warn that some women should wait up to two months after stopping the injections before trying to get pregnant, as the long-term effects on fertility and pregnancy aren't fully known.
The agency also advises that these drugs should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive, or while breastfeeding due to limited data on their safety for unborn babies.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told UNILAD that 'there is limited data with semaglutide use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk for adverse maternal and foetal outcomes'.
"Semaglutide injection (Ozempic®, Wegovy®) should be discontinued in women at least two months before a planned pregnancy due to the long washout period for semaglutide," they said.
"Semaglutide should not be used during pregnancy. Women of childbearing potential are recommended to use contraception when treated with semaglutide.
"In other pharmacology trials, semaglutide did not affect the absorption of oral medications (including the oral contraceptive medication ethinylestradiol and levonorgestrel) to any clinically relevant degree.
"Therefore semaglutide is not anticipated to decrease the effect of oral contraceptives.
"Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when oral medications are concomitantly administered with semaglutide."
Mounjaro's manufacturer, Eli Lilly and Company, also told UNILAD: "Patient safety is Lilly's top priority, and we actively engage in monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety information for all our medicines.
"The Summary of Product Characteristics for Mounjaro (tirzepatide) explains that tirzepatide 'has the potential to impact the rate of absorption of concomitantly administered oral medicinal products' and that the impact 'is most pronounced at the time of tirzepatide treatment initiation.'
"The tirzepatide Patient Information Leaflet pregnancy section states: 'This medicine should not be used during pregnancy as the effects of this medicine on an unborn child are not known. If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before using this medicine.
"It is recommended to use contraception while using this medicine. If you are a woman with obesity or overweight and are using oral contraceptives, you should consider also using a barrier method of contraception (e.g., a condom) or switching to a non-oral contraceptive method for 4 weeks after starting Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each increase in dose.'"
Topics: Ozempic, Health, Sex and Relationships
Ellie Kemp