She had bought a prescription for the weight-loss drug through a registered online pharmacy
A 58-year-old nurse from North Lanarkshire, Scotland, has reportedly died after taking the weight-loss drug tirzepatide, which was recently approved for use on the NHS.
Susan McGowan died from multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis, with the use of the Eli Lilly drug listed as a contributing factor on her death certificate, according to the BBC.
She had taken two low-dose injections of tirzepatide, known by the brand name Mounjaro, over a two-week period before her death on 4 September. Her death is thought to be the first in the U.K. officially linked to the drug.
McGowan, who had worked for over 30 years as a nurse at University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie, purchased a prescription for the drug through a registered online pharmacy.
A few days after her second injection, McGowen began experiencing severe stomach pains and sickness. She went to A&E at Monklands – where her colleagues tried to save her life.
Within days, her kidneys failed, and she fell into a coma as her other organs began to fail.
Weight-loss drugs and safety concerns
Tirzepatide belongs to a group of weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists that lower appetite by making people feel fuller for longer.
It was approved for use as a weight-loss aid in the UK in 2023 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Between January and May 2024, there were 208 reports about tirzepatide on the Yellow Card Scheme, including 31 serious reactions and one suspected death of a man in his sixties.
However, MHRA chief safety officer Dr. Alison Cave stated that, based on the current evidence, the benefits of GLP-1 receptor agonists outweigh the potential risks when used for their licensed purposes.
She told the BBC: “Patient safety is our top priority and no medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
“We have robust, safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place for all healthcare products,” she said.
Dr Cave offered her “sincere sympathies” to McGowan’s family on behalf of the organisation.
A spokesperson from Eli Lilly commented that Mounjaro was approved based on “extensive assessment of the benefits and risks of the medicine” and that they provide information about the benefits and risks of all their medicines to regulators worldwide to ensure the latest information is available for prescribers.
Semaglutide, a similar GLP-1 receptor agonist, is sold under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic and is also used for weight loss.
Manufactured by Novo Nordisk, this drug has been linked to 23 suspected deaths in the UK since 2019 via the Yellow Card Scheme.
