UK Woman's Death After Using Weight Loss Drugs Raises Questions On Its Safety

A 34-year-old British mom of two and a 58-year old nurse from Scotland, both died after consuming weight loss drugs.

Sarah Thompson, 34, mom of two was a cancer survivor who had battled obesity since her treatment. This involved removal of her voice box, which made it further difficult for her to exercise. She then went on to consume weight loss drugs, called the "skinny drugs". As a result, she fell violently ill. Earlier, from the same drug, she had dropped her weight from 98kg to 69kg. As per the reports, these drops contained Clenbuterol, a Class C controlled drug in UK, which means it is illegal to posses without a prescription and illegal to sell or supply without prescription.

Despite the side effects like vomiting, nausea, listlessness, racing heart, she was happy with the results and how quickly it helped her lose weight. She also recommended the drops to her 26-year-old sister, who suffering an uncontrolled racing heart and body shakes and quit the drugs.

For the 58-year-old nurse Susan McGowan, she died of a multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis. However, her death certificate also lists the Eli Lilly drug as a contributing factor. Her death was the first in UK, which officially links the drug, known as Mounjaro or Zepbound.

McGowen consumed the drug for two weeks. BBC reports that she bought her prescription for the drug online. A few days after her second dose, she experienced sickness and severe stomach pain. However, she was treated at the University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, where she had worked. Despite the treatment, within a few days, she developed serious kidney issues, went into a coma. Later, her other organs failed, leading to her death.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to four companies for selling unapproved versions of GLP-1 drugs, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, both active ingredients in popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs.

The letters were issued to Xcel Peptides, Swisschems, Summit Research, and Prime Peptides. These websites are used by many to order drugs, though it does mentions that these products must be used only for research and "not for human consumption or clinical use".

Semaglutide is an active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Ozempic, the popular weightloss drugs. Whereas Tirzepetide is one of the several new "blockbluster" weight loss drugs that lower your appetite by making people feel full.

As per the reports, researchers from the Rhode Island found in their study which was funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) that these active ingredients could lead to risks of kidney, liver and other organ damage. The NIH has also sent out warning too. The researchers said it can cause "severe toxicity" to major internal organs.

Researchers have also warned people to not self-prescribe or fall for the "herbal" or "no-side-effects" promises made by sellers who are not qualified medical practitioners.