An Australian woman trying to lose weight before her daughter’s wedding died from a side effect of a popular weight loss injection, 9Now reported Sunday.
Trish Webster, 56, was prescribed Ozempic — a diabetes drug that also causes weight loss — which she had been taking for five months at the time of her death. The woman then reportedly took another weight loss injection, Saxenda, losing a total of 35 pounds, according to 9Now.
Webster felt constantly ill throughout this period, according to her husband, Roy, who found her unresponsive on Jan. 16, the outlet reported.
“She had a little bit of brown stuff coming out of her mouth and I realized she wasn’t breathing, and started doing CPR,” Roy told 9Now. “It was just pouring out and I turned her onto the side because she couldn’t breathe.”
Trish Webster had been using weight loss injections including Ozempic to quickly drop a few kilograms and her husband Roy believes they killed her.https://t.co/vf3keA3W2Q
— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) November 7, 2023
Webster’s death certificate cites an acute gastrointestinal illness as the cause, and Roy suspects the weight loss drugs played a role in his wife’s sudden death, per 9Now.
“If I knew that could happen, she wouldn’t have been taking it,” Roy told 9Now.
Ozempic, initially approved in the United States to treat diabetes, has been increasingly marketed for weight loss, generating significant revenue for telehealth providers, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Calley Means Tells Russell Brand Medical Field Is ‘Profiting’ Off Obesity)
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, stated that, a recurring stomach complication, was only reported in the drug’s “post-marketing setting,” indicating the issue became apparent to them after widespread usage began.
As of late October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had received some 8,500 reports of gastrointestinal issues from people taking medications like Ozempic and its more concentrated variant, Wegovy. In response, the FDA updated Ozempic’s product information to include warnings about ileus (a lack of movement in the intestines).
The Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia is also investigating and has urged those with concerns to come forward, 9Now reported.