![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/d0265b71-e673-4e3f-b7b8-59566a0c8148.jpg\")
The Royal Infirmary of EdinburghKen Jack\/Getty Images<\/p>\nWhen Rob Briggs, an award-winning communications specialist, was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in March, he remained upbeat and unflappable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was chirpy,\u201d his wife, Lesley, said. \u201cHe told me he was on the mend and was going to be fine. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, within hours he suffered catastrophic internal bleeding before his heart stopped. Staff were able to resuscitate him, but the 55-year-old had suffered severe brain damage.<\/p>\n
Lesley recalled taking the agonising decision to switch off his life support system and say goodbye for the final time.<\/p>\n
The Royal Infirmary of EdinburghKen Jack\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Briggs, who represented a host of international IT, banking and defence firms, was born with MEN1, a\u00a0rare genetic disorder that causes ulcers, thinning bones, tumours and an increased susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
In an attempt to curb the latter condition, he asked his GP for Ozempic, a weight-loss medication that was originally developed to suppress appetite among diabetic patients, but is now more commonly used as a quick-fix diet aid.<\/p>\n
His most recent sixth-monthly scan and assessment\u00a0had recorded no serious issues and, as such, his request was granted.<\/p>\n
\u201cRob took it and, within 24 hours, he was so seriously ill that he ended up in A&E,\u201d Lesley said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t believe it. I thought to myself \u2018what the hell is happening?\u2019 Before I knew it, he was fighting for his life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesley, who runs the Graystone Gallery in Edinburgh, specialising in contemporary Scottish art, acknowledged her husband\u2019s underlying health issues but said his final check-up, late last year, found no trace of the ulcers that bled and ultimately prevented his organs from functioning, leading to his death.<\/p>\n
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Lesley did not request a post-mortem examination, so there was no mention of Ozempic on Briggs\u2019s death certificate.<\/p>\n
However, she claimed her husband\u2019s GP had indicated the drug may have been a contributing factor in his death and would be sending a report detailing the circumstances to the manufacturer.<\/p>\n
Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic, confirmed to The Sunday Times that it was launching an\u00a0investigation into Briggs\u2019s death and would work closely with NHS Lothian and his family.<\/p>\n
Lesley urged people to think carefully before taking weight loss injections. She said her husband previously became seriously ill and required hospital treatment after taking another weight-loss drug several years ago, but had been reassured that Ozempic was safe for him to use.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy view is that there is not enough known about these treatments,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople should be wary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should consider all the factors and risks and, if they have any doubt, they should try to lose weight the old fashioned way; through exercise and dieting. You can never be sure what the effects can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cThe pharmacy companies need to take action and give clearer warnings. Staff at the hospital told me that they are dealing with around five cases every week related to weight loss injections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesley met Briggs in a bar in Soho, London, in 2005 and they quickly became inseparable, marrying in Italy in 2011.<\/p>\n
![\"Rob](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/b7d604b0-3215-4068-9373-014a6883d0c9.jpg\")
Graystone Gallery<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was my soulmate and we had 21 wonderful years together,\u201d she said. \u201cWe grew together and had so many shared interests in the art world, literary festivals, political events and theatre. Rob was everything to me; he was my rock, my lover, my best friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will miss him more than I can express.\u201d<\/p>\n
Briggs was born in Leicester, educated at University of Reading and went to work for a succession\u00a0of global firms, including the Bank of Canada, Zurich Insurance and the Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, before he launched his own communications consultancy.<\/p>\n
The couple achieved their goal of settling in Edinburgh in 2020 and went on to launch a gallery together in the Stockbridge area of the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be Rob\u2019s lasting legacy,\u201d Lesley said. \u201cI have also taken great comfort from the messages I have received from people that he worked with over the years. He had a big heart and was witty, so people were drawn to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cRob also mentored and helped a lot of young people in his profession, which\u00a0he\u00a0found really\u00a0rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Briggs was a patron of the Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture and gained Masters\u2019 degrees in corporate communications, occupational psychology and creative writing.<\/p>\n
The latter led him to attend crime writing festivals around the UK, where he befriended a number of established authors, including Sir Ian Rankin<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJust this year Rob was full steam ahead in writing his own manuscript,\u201d Lesley said. \u201cIt revolved around crime in the art world. He was enormously proud to have been asked to serve as a judge for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n The accolade, sponsored by the estate of the James Bond <\/a>creator, is given by the British Crime Writers\u2019 Association for the best thriller of the year.<\/p>\n \u00a0In 2024, Susan McGowan, a nurse from North Lanarkshire, became the first person in the UK whose death was officially linked to the use of a weight-loss drug.<\/p>\n![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/c57e4892-1a63-4f95-a53b-995e9fa2d0cd.jpg\")
Susan McGowanbbc<\/p>\n
![\"Ozempic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0a6692a4-035b-428b-969b-308c36b76bf4.jpg\")
Brigss was prescribed OzempicAlamy<\/p>\n