A heartbroken father has issued a desperate appeal to Australians to be aware of the dangerous side effects of “weight loss drugs” like Ozempic after his wife died just months into treatment.
Roy Webster said his wife, Trish, who simply wanted to lose a few pounds for their daughter’s wedding, died five months after starting the drug. The drug was originally created to treat diabetes, but is now being prescribed around the world for weight reasons. loss.
The 56-year-old mother lost a total of 16kg by taking Ozempic, which was advertised on TV, in conjunction with another weight-loss drug Saxenda, but in January “something seriously went wrong”.
Australian mother Trish Webster dies 5 months after taking Ozempic
Mr Webster said his wife had lost a lot of weight but was often sick.
“We couldn’t save her. That’s the difficult part,” Webster said. 60 minutes. “If she had known it could happen, she wouldn’t have done it.”
The Australian explained that Trish eventually stopped breathing and slipped away in his arms.
“A little bit of brown stuff came out of her mouth and I realized she wasn’t breathing and started CPR,” he said. “It was pouring and I couldn’t breathe so I turned on my side.”
Although her death certificate lists the cause as acute gastrointestinal illness and does not show a direct link to weight loss drugs, Webster believes weight loss drugs contributed to his wife’s death. and is now urging others to think twice before taking weight loss drugs.
“I never thought I would die from it,” he said.
‘Increasing evidence’ suggests Ozempic causes ‘complications’
According to endocrinologist Dr. Kathryn William, “There is growing evidence that the active ingredients in drugs like Ozempic can cause gastrointestinal complications.”
“When we prescribe drugs, we warn people,” she told 60 Minutes. “So if I were to say to someone, ‘Sure, you may vomit once or twice, but if you vomit repeatedly, you need to let me know and stop the medication.'”
Due to Ozempic’s surge in popularity, there is now a global shortage of the drug, and diabetics around the world are having a hard time even getting access to it.
Companies report huge profits from drugs
Tim Doyle, who runs Juniper, the world’s largest supplier of Ozempic, told Channel 9 that his company makes more than $150 million a year from the drug.
He said there is a strict vetting process for people trying to buy the drug through his website, but that sometimes people “exploit gaps in the system.”
Ozempic’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, said in a statement to 60 Minutes that the recurrence of gastric complications ileus was only reported after what the company called a “post-marketing setting.” They claim they only noticed the problem after the drug was released and became a pharmaceutical blockbuster.
Two recent deaths in the United States have prompted the Food and Drug Administration to change product information for Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs. Now also includes a warning against ileus.
Here in Australia, the Therapeutic Goods Agency (TGA) is investigating local cases and encouraging people like Webster to report concerns. Mr Webster said he wanted an inquest to investigate his wife’s death and hoped his warning would save others before it was too late.
“She shouldn’t be gone,” he said. “It’s not worth it, it’s not worth it at all.”
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