Ozempic linked to rare eye disorder according to European regulator
The chances are you've heard of the drug Ozempic. In fact, the drug has quickly become so popular, it's almost impossible to go a day without hearing about it.
Several celebrities have also been very public about their use of the drug too, including Sharon Osbourne and Jeremy Clarkson.
While the type two diabetes drug has proven to have positive results, and has been the subject of praise for its ability to help patients lose weight, it hasn't been without concerns in the form of side effects.
Previous studies linked the drug to a rare eye condition known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and, for the first time, a regulator has since confirmed the side effect.
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What is NAION?
NAION is a condition where the optic nerve which connects the eyes to the brain experiences a lack of oxygen and blood flow.
In most cases it causes the sudden, and painless loss of vision in an eye.
Certain conditions such as diabetes and sleep apnea can increase the risk of NAION.
How big is the risk of developing NAION?
According to the European Medicines Agency's safety committee, the condition may affect up to one in 10,000 people taking semaglutide (an active ingredient in Ozempic).
What has Novo Nordisk said?
Novo, the company behind Ozempic, said it will be working with the EMA to update the labels, making sure they include the eye disorder as a rare side-effect.
LADbible reached out to Novo Nordisk for comment, which said: "Patient safety is our top priority, and we take any reports about adverse events from the use of our medicines very seriously. We work closely with authorities and regulatory bodies from around the world to continuously monitor the safety profile of our products."
The company explained that 'semaglutide has been studied in Novo Nordisk’s robust clinical development programs' and that the 'most common adverse events seen in randomised controlled trials are listed as gastrointestinal events including nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting.'
"Most events were transient, and mild or moderate in severity and resolved without permanent treatment discontinuation.
"On June 6th, 2025, EMA PRAC recommended updating the EU SmPC and patient leaflet for Ozempic®, Rybelsus® and Wegovy® ▼to include "Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)" and under section 4.4 'Special warnings and precautions for use' and as an adverse drug reaction in section 4.8 'Undesirable effects' (frequency: very rare, meaning it may effect up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide)."
Despite this, the company stressed that based on the evidence, 'the data did not suggest a reasonable possibility of a causal relationship between semaglutide and NAION' and that the 'benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains favourable'.
The company also assured that it will 'continue to collaborate with the MHRA to discuss any UK impact.'
Finally, it followed up with some advice for any patients who are worried they might be experiencing side effects when taking Ozempic.
"We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking our medicines report them to their healthcare provider and in the UK, use the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/."
Kegan Marquez