Ozempic is an antidiabetic drug containing semaglutide, a molecule that mimics GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) produced after a meal. Semaglutide has shown its effectiveness in type 2 diabetic patients to lose weight and control blood sugar levels. In a study of more than 1,200 patients, it allowed a weight loss of 4.6 kg after 30 weeks on average (1).
In Denmark, Ozempic is used by more than 100,000 patients. In France it is reserved solely for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
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In a first study from Harvard Medical School in Boston in the United States, it was observed that Ozempic significantly increased the risk of a rare disease, NAION: non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
La NAION
NAION is an irreversible damage to the optic nerve that can lead to severe and permanent vision loss. It is the result of a sudden interruption of the blood supply to this nerve and results in a loss of visual acuity or a significant reduction in the field of vision. The condition is often developed by patients at cardiovascular risk.
The link between Ozempic and the NAION
The American study involved a modest sample size: 710 type 2 diabetic patients, 194 of whom received semaglutide and 516 taking other antidiabetics. Over a 36-month period, the authors found that the incidence of NAION was 6.7% among patients taking semaglutide, compared to only 0.8% for those taking other medications (2). To find out more, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark independently conducted two studies, based on Danish registers.
In the first study, researchers analyzed data from 424,152 Danes with type 2 diabetes and found that Ozempic more than doubled the risk of optic nerve damage (3).
-“At the same time, in the clinic, we have noticed that since the arrival of Ozempic on the market in 2018, the number of NAION cases in Denmark has increasedexplains in a press release Professor Jakob Grauslund who led this research. While we used to see between 60 and 70 cases of NAION per year, we now see up to 150. Additionally, we have noticed that patients who come to the hospital due to NAION are more often patients with type 2 diabetes.
Since the arrival of Ozempic on the market, the number of NAION cases has increased in Denmark
In the second study, another team from the same university examined a smaller sample of patients, and compared new users of Ozempic to users of another antidiabetic drug. The study involved 44,517 Danish and 16,860 Norwegian patients. It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal and is the subject of a pre-publication on MedrXiv (4). Here too, the risk of eye disease doubled with Ozempic, the increase in risk therefore remained lower than that – much more dramatic – observed in the United States.
Should we stop Ozempic?
If left untreated, diabetes can lead to ophthalmic complications, which are less serious than NAION but more common. This is why researchers do not advise diabetic patients to stop their treatment, considering this side effect certainly serious, but rare.
“However, treatment with Ozempic should be discontinued if NAION is detected in one eyecomments Professor Kurt Højlund who is a specialist in diabetes. The vast majority of patients can be confident in their treatment with Ozempic because the absolute risk is very low, but some people may prefer alternative treatment after consulting their doctor. »
