Harvard University Researchers Raise Concerns Over Rare Eye Disease
Pharmaceutical Company Issues Statement: "Not a Meaningful Conclusion"
Research has revealed that globally popular obesity treatments 'Wegovy' and 'Ozempic' may cause a rare eye disease. Although the likelihood of occurrence is very low, it is a potentially fatal side effect that can lead to blindness.
Foreign media such as 'Business Insider' reported on the side effect study of Wegovy released by a research team from Harvard Medical School on the 4th (local time). The team analyzed the causal relationship between the risk of developing the rare eye disease 'Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION)' and the use of semaglutide in about 17,000 patients. The study was published the previous day in the Journal of the American Medical Association Ophthalmology (JAMA Ophthalmology).
Semaglutide is a blood sugar-lowering drug developed by the Danish global pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017, it has gained attention as a weight loss drug due to research showing its weight reduction effects. Semaglutide is contained in the company's diet drug brands Wegovy and Ozempic.
NAION is a rare disease in which the artery supplying blood to the optic nerve in the eye becomes blocked. When this disease occurs, oxygen supply to the optic nerve stops, potentially causing vision loss. It occurs at a low rate of about 10 cases per 100,000 people, and there is currently no effective treatment.
The research team analyzed data from 16,827 patients treated at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary over six years from December 2017 to November 2023. Among them, 710 patients had type 2 diabetes, and 194 of these were prescribed semaglutide. Among 979 overweight or obese patients, 361 were also prescribed the same drug.
NAION developed in 37 patients who were prescribed semaglutide. In contrast, only 9 patients who were prescribed other drugs developed the same disease. As a result, type 2 diabetes patients treated with semaglutide had a 4.28 times higher risk of NAION, and overweight and obese patients had a 7.64 times higher risk.
NAION has not been previously identified as a confirmed side effect of semaglutide. Regarding this, the research team stated, "This is new information we did not know before," and warned, "For patients with optic nerve problems or those who have already lost significant vision, thorough discussion between patient and doctor is necessary when using semaglutide."
They added, "The use of drugs like Wegovy has exploded across developed countries," and emphasized, "While these drugs offer benefits in many ways, NAION should be considered a potential risk going forward."
However, Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Wegovy, has rebutted the research team's views. The media quoted the pharmaceutical company's statement saying, "Patient safety is Novo Nordisk's top priority," but expressed concerns about the study's methodology, noting that the number of cases is too small to draw meaningful conclusions."
Meanwhile, since the sales of Wegovy and Ozempic, Novo Nordisk's performance and market capitalization have soared. Over the past year, the stock price has risen by 79.2%, and the current market capitalization stands at 3,410 billion Danish kroner (approximately 681 trillion Korean won). As of the closing price on the 3rd, when the side effect paper was submitted, the stock fell by 2.62%.
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