{"id":258625,"date":"2026-01-30T02:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T02:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/258625\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T02:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T02:42:15","slug":"weight-loss-jab-users-warned-over-rare-but-serious-pancreas-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/258625\/","title":{"rendered":"Weight loss jab users warned over rare but serious pancreas issue"},"content":{"rendered":"

People using GLP-1 injections like Wegovy to lose weight should be aware of the rare but real chance of developing severe inflammation of the pancreas, known as acute pancreatitis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said symptoms to look out for include extreme pain in the stomach and back which does not go away.<\/p>\n

It advises users of the drug to see a doctor immediately if they experience this.<\/p>\n

Product information for healthcare professionals and patients regarding the risk has been updated.<\/p>\n

There have been hundreds of reports<\/a> of acute and chronic pancreatitis from people who have taken drugs such as Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy, although none are confirmed as being caused by the medicines.<\/p>\n

An estimated 1.6 million adults<\/a> in England, Wales and Scotland are thought to have used drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro in the last year or so.<\/p>\n

Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer, said patient safety was a top priority.<\/p>\n

“For the vast majority of patients who are prescribed GLP-1s, they are safe and effective medicines which deliver significant health benefits,” she said.<\/p>\n

“The risk of developing these severe side effects is very small, but it is important that patients and healthcare professionals are aware and alert to the associated symptoms.<\/p>\n

“If you, or someone you care for, is taking GLP-1s and you notice symptoms such as severe, persistent stomach pain that may radiate to the back and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, then we advise you speak to a healthcare professional and report it via our Yellow Card scheme<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

The pancreas is a small organ, located behind the stomach, that helps with digestion.<\/p>\n

Most people with acute pancreatitis start to feel better within about a week and have no further problems. But some people with severe acute pancreatitis can go on to develop serious complications.<\/p>\n

You should only take GLP-1 medicines if they have been prescribed to you by a healthcare professional.<\/p>\n

Always have a conversation with your prescriber about the benefits and risks of GLP-1 medicines before you start taking them or before making any changes to your treatment, such as switching to a different brand, the MHRA advises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"People using GLP-1 injections like Wegovy to lose weight should be aware of the rare but real chance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[148800,148802,134,7058,148801,148803,143708,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-258625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-acute-pancreatitis","tag-chronic-pancreatitis","tag-health","tag-healthcare-professionals","tag-inflammation-of-the-pancreas","tag-medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency","tag-mhra","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258625\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}