The European Medicines Agency has advised that individuals taking weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound should inform their doctors ahead of any scheduled surgery. The agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) has recommended new measures to reduce the risk of respiratory complications during surgery for patients using GLP-1 treatments.
GLP-1 drugs are diabetes and weight loss medications that mimic a hormone which regulates blood sugar and suppresses appetite. Novo Nordisk, known for Ozempic and Wegovy, and Eli Lilly, producer of Mounjaro and Zepbound, lead the market for these medications.
The PRAC indicated that patients on GLP-1 drugs risk aspiration and pneumonia aspiration when undergoing anesthesia or deep sedation. Aspiration occurs when food or liquid is inhaled into the lungs rather than being swallowed properly, and this risk is due to the delayed emptying of the stomach caused by these medications. Even with fasting, food might still be in the stomach at the time of surgery, increasing the risk of complications.
According to PRAC, these aspiration risks complicate between one in 900 to one in 10,000 general anesthesia procedures. Although the committee did not establish a direct causal link between GLP-1 drugs and aspiration, it recommends that healthcare professionals consider the impact of these medications when combined with anesthesia.
Additionally, the commission will update product information for these drugs to include a warning about this risk.
Morgan Stanley analysts predict the global market for GLP-1 drugs will reach $105 billion by 2030, an increase from a previous projection of $77 billion. The investment bank also expects these drugs’ adoption to reach about 31.5 million people in the U.S., approximately 9% of the nation’s population, by 2035.