On April 12, the European Medicines Agency’s drug safety committee published results from its review, adding to earlier findings from the FDA. The EMA began investigating the potential link in July after case reports of suicidal thoughts and self-injury in people using GLP-1s.
The committee reviewed results from a study that used EHR data to investigate the incidence of suicidal thoughts in patients taking semaglutide and other weight loss drugs. They also evaluated findings from a study that examined the risk of self-injury and sucide-related events in people taking GLP-1s. Clinical trial and post-marketing surveillance data were also part of the review.
“The results did not support a causal association between the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists and this risk,” said a statement on the findings.
In January, the FDA said it had not found a causal link between GLP-1s and suicidal thoughts after conducting a preliminary analysis of cases submitted to its Adverse Event Reporting System. However, because the reporting system is limited in scope, the agency said it could not definitively rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that it would continue to monitor the issue.
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