Apart from its long-term side effects including heart diseases, the potential risk of vision loss has also been linked to usage of Semaglutide, according to a study conducted by Boston-based researchers. New Delhi: Semaglutide, the well-known antidiabetic medicine has been a major topic of discussion for a long time now. The medicine is majorly used for treating type-2 diabetes and is also used as an anti-obesity drug for long-term weight loss.
Apart from its long-term side effects including heart diseases, the potential risk of vision loss has also been linked to usage of Semaglutide, according to a study conducted by Boston-based researchers. As per the study, the market size of Semaglutide in 2024 is estimated at t $27.55 billion, and it is believed to reach $50.
34 billion by 2029. The growing demand rate for the drug is 12.8 per cent.
The medicine is sold under brand names such as Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic by Danish drug major Novo Nordisk. The study has been published in the medical journal o f JAMA Ophthalmology under the title ‘Risk of Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in Patients Prescribed Semaglutide’. Semaglutide can lead to non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy The study suggested that regular usage of Semaglutide (a glucagon-like-peptide 1 receptor agonist or GLP-1RA) may be linked to the development of a condition called non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
NAION is the second most common form of optic neuropathy and is also a prominent cause of blindness in adults. As per reports, the rate of NAION ranges from 2 to 10 cases per 100,000 individuals. In the study, about 16,287 patients revealed an increased risk of NAION in patients who took Semaglutide as compared to the patients who took non–glucagon-like peptide receptor against drugs for diabetes or obesity.
Further, the researchers in the study said, there is a potential risk of NAION linked with prescriptions for Semaglutide but more study needs to be conducted on the same. Moreover, the patients treated with medication showed a heightened risk of developing NAION when compared to the ones who took non-GLP-1 RA antidiabetes medications. On the other hand, among people who are overweight or obese, around 20 NAION events in the Semaglutide group were found versus three in the non–GLP–1 RA cohort.
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