Novo Nordisk under EU probe after reports of suicidal, self-harm thoughts

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is investigating Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Saxenda after Iceland's health regulator flagged three cases of patients thinking about suicide or self-harm.
 

Shares of the Danish drugmaker fell 1 per cent on Monday following the news.
 

An EMA safety committee is looking into adverse events raised by the Icelandic Medicines Agency, including two cases of suicidal thoughts in those who used Ozempic, which contains the active ingredient semaglutide, and Saxenda, the regulator said.
 

Another patient on Saxenda, Novo’s earlier and less effective weight-loss drug that contains a different active ingredient, reported thoughts of self-injury, the agency said.
 

 

Novo Nordisk said patient safety was top priority.
 

Safety data did not show any “causal association” between the suicidal or self-harming thoughts and the drugs, it added in a statement. 
 

The EMA’s investigation centers on medicines that contain either semaglutide or liraglutide.