Increased risks seen for pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis, but not for biliary disease<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Use of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists for weight loss is associated with increased risks for pancreatitis, gastroparesis, and bowel obstruction compared with use of bupropion-naltrexone, according to a research letter published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>.<\/p>\n Mohit Sodhi, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues examined gastrointestinal adverse events associated with GLP-1 agonists used for weight loss in a cohort study involving new users of semaglutide or liraglutide and the active comparator bupropion-naltrexone. Data were included for 4,144 liraglutide, 613 semaglutide, and 654 bupropion-naltrexone users.<\/p>\n The researchers found that the incidence rates for the four outcomes (biliary disease, pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, or gastroparesis) were elevated among GLP-1 agonist users versus bupropion-naltrexone users. For example, the incidence of biliary disease was 11.7, 18.6, and 12.6 per 1,000 person-years for liraglutide, semaglutide, and bupropion-naltrexone, respectively, and the incidence of pancreatitis was 4.6, 7.9, and 1.0, respectively. Significantly increased risks for pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis were seen for GLP-1 agonists versus bupropion-naltrexone use (hazard ratios [95 percent confidence intervals], 9.09 [1.25 to 66.00], 4.22 [1.02 to 17.40], and 3.67 [1.15 to 11.90], respectively), but not biliary disease (hazard ratio, 1.50; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.89 to 2.53).<\/p>\n “Given the wide use of these drugs, these adverse events, although rare, must be considered by patients who are contemplating using the drugs for weight loss because the risk-benefit calculus for this group might differ from that of those who use them for diabetes,” the authors write.<\/strong><\/p>\n