Study: Disproportionality Analysis From World Health Organization Data on Semaglutide, Liraglutide, and Suicidality . Image Credit: myskin / Shutterstock.com In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open , researchers investigate the potential link between the obesity drugs semaglutide and liraglutide and suicidal or self-injurious adverse drug reactions.
The mental health effects of GLP-1 RAs The global obesity epidemic has increased interest in glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), drugs originally developed for type 2 diabetes (T2D), due to their weight loss properties. GLP-1 RAs like liraglutide and semaglutide have gained popularity beyond their initial purpose, which has led to global shortages. Concerns about the safety of GLP-1 RAs, particularly the risk of suicidal ideation, have emerged.
Although regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have initiated investigations into these risks, no definitive relationship has been established between these drugs and suicide risk. The researchers in the present study aimed to investigate suicidal and self-injurious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) attributed to liraglutide or semaglutide use on a global scale by leveraging the World Health Organization (WHO) database of individual case safety reports (ICSRs). About the study The present case-control study was initiated as a disproportionality analysis of the WHO Vigibase, the largest g.