Death of Nurse Linked to Mounjaro Approval on NHS

She wasn’t taking any other medications; she was healthy.” Susan was such an engaging individual. She was generous with her generosity, kind with kindness, and had such a big personality! They said she had the biggest laugh at the hospital! “Ms Campbell was told by doctors that her aunt’s kidneys weren’t functioning correctly; days later she fell into a coma, her organs began failing and she went into cardiac arrest.” It all happened so fast; Campbell still can’t believe what has transpired: ‘Has that really happened?” she thought to herself at times. Tirzepatide belongs to a class of weight loss drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists that make patients feel full for longer. Approved as an aid by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2023. Patient safety is our number-one goal and any medicine approved must meet our stringent safety, quality and efficacy standards. “To safeguard patient wellbeing we employ robust monitoring and surveillance systems across our healthcare products portfolio. On the basis of available evidence, GLP-1 RAs appear to outweigh their associated risks when used within their approved indications. “Lilly has made patient safety its top priority with regards to its product line of Mountjaro medicines, according to their spokesperson: We remain dedicated to regularly monitoring, evaluating and reporting safety information pertaining to Lilly medications.” “Mounjaro was approved after rigorous evaluation of its benefits and risks; furthermore, we provide information regarding all our medicines worldwide to regulators so prescribers have access to up-to-date data.” “There’s ample proof available demonstrating that these drugs work effectively to cause weight loss, with minimal side effect profiles for most individuals. “There is an immediate and growing need to assist individuals living with extremely high BMI to lose weight through medications that offer multiple advantages, yet for years we lacked these tools. One in four to one in five adult residents could likely benefit from these drugs. Tirzepatide became the subject of widespread discussion when the UK government unveiled plans to roll it out to unemployed people as an aid towards returning them into work. They’re teaming up with Mounjaro manufacturer for a five-year trial run in Greater Manchester.” Nearly 250,000 people will participate in this three-year trial and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has heralded it as “game-changing”. However, Ms Campbell does not think now is an opportune time and hopes the UK government reconsiders this decision. She stated: “Anything backed by government would have our trust.” Before turning to weight-loss injections, please speak with your GP as there may be other alternatives for consideration before jumping onto this particular path. BBC News requested an update on whether Ms McGowan’s death would prompt any reconsiderations; unfortunately the UK government declined commenting further on their position.