An article in the UK Telegraph is entitled “I lost 3st on Mounjaro—now, I’m losing an organ“. It reports the case of a woman who took a weight loss drug and lost 20 kilograms over the course of a few months. She then developed painful gallstones, acute pancreatitis and an inflamed liver—a potentially life threatening combination. She is now scheduled to have her gallbladder surgically removed. Gallbladder surgeries hit a peak in 2024-25 in England, but the link back to weight loss drugs has not been confirmed because no studies have been made. Despite this, research predating GLP-1 drug use has shown that rapid weight loss is often associated with the development of gallstones.
An article in The Times, also published today is entitled “Ozempic and Wegovy could damage your eyesight, regulator warns“. It reports that taking GLP-1 weight loss drugs can cause sudden blindness in one eye because it can cut the blood flow to the optic nerve.
The UK Daily Mail reports a study published in JAMA entitled “Risk of Gastrointestinal Adverse Events Associated With Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists for Weight Loss“. It found that weight loss drugs cause a significantly increased risk of pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and stomach paralysis. The study concludes that these serious side effects were not noticed because the initial trials which led to the approval of weight loss drugs were too small and had a short follow up period.
The cursory approval of weight loss drugs makes for a sorry tale that is being repeated across the entire spectrum of drug regulation. Rush through short trials with small patient numbers, pressure the regulators for approval with sob stories of patients who will suffer and possibly die if they don’t get this or that miracle drug quickly. Then advertise exaggerated claims of safety and effectiveness to ensure wide scale buy-in among medical professionals and take up among the public. Charge high prices and rake in the profits before the side effects halt the gravy train. Sound familiar?
In the case of weight loss drugs, claims have been made that they are miracle drugs which will reduce the incidence of heart disease and cancer among the general population, the top two killers. These claims are based on studies comparing outcomes for people taking GLP-1 drugs specifically for Type 2 diabetes vs those taking other drugs. In particular, the GLP-1 group had a lower relative risk of fatal heart disease and stroke. These are not studies showing increased longevity, they are studies comparing drug outcomes among people who are already seriously ill and at risk of early death. Claims of increased lifespan if the general use of GLP-1 drugs is approved, funded and encouraged are solely based on a very weak inference from the fact that overweight people are known to be more at risk of these conditions. In other words, a tenuous inference is being drawn that has no connection with actual consumption of GLP-1 drugs. Claims of causality are being made that do not pass any normal test of causality. Nor do such claims take account of the growing awareness of the rate of serious life threatening adverse effects.
Now contrast this with the criticisms levelled by the majority of medical practitioners and government regulators against those raising the alarm about excessive rates of adverse effects following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. These were dismissed as unproven because they did not pass supposedly strict tests of causality. In fact temporal proximity is arguably the most important test of causality. High rates of a very broad range of health conditions following COVID-19 vaccination did in fact meet this criteria. Whereas unfounded claims of specific health benefits from weight loss drugs being vigorously promoted by the same medical practitioners who criticised and cancelled COVID-19 vaccine whistleblowers do not. Nor are regulators warning the public of the mountain of evidence of harm that is accumulating.
Yesterday I was subjected to daytime advertising aired on television for Wegovy. There was no mention of possible adverse effects. Here in New Zealand prescriptions issued to young children can and still do include notes encouraging them to come in for a COVID-19 vaccine. Prescription drug advertising in New Zealand is among the least regulated in the world. Why?
There is a question of legitimacy here. Many US commentators are questioning why Trump is currently negotiating with Iranian authorities when they have just murdered in cold blood over two days a reported 30-45,000 of their own citizens protesting against economic hardship and oppressive persecution of women, etc. The legitimacy of a government relies on the protection and nourishment it provides its people.
Why is our government currently prosecuting whistleblower Barry Young who leaked data showing that COVID-19 vaccination was proximately tied to increased mortality? Has our government lost its legitimacy? You tell me. We need to guard against government overreach mandating unproven health measures which damage public health. Citing progress and the greater good is not a guarantee of legitimacy. Through the use of such round about distorted logic, governments are undermining their own standing.
The lesson of the pandemic is clear: reform of drug regulation in New Zealand is long overdue. We are rubber stamping low quality drug trials held overseas without adequate testing for serious side effects and long term outcomes. Doctors should be writing more preventive prescriptions for MED—Meditation, Exercise and Diet. They have been proven to work for a wide range of conditions, they don’t cost huge sums, we don’t need to buy them from overseas suppliers, highly paid consultants and expensive equipment is not needed, they can be self-managed at home, and positive results develop quickly. This is apparently too simple for a health service that has lost its way.
