Korea warns of rare vision-loss risk linked to GLP-1 drugs

The Korea Times has reported that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has issued a safety alert to medical professionals and patients regarding a potential risk of a rare eye condition linked to GLP-1 obesity drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro. This condition, nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), is characterized by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve, potentially causing sudden, permanent vision loss.

The European Medicines Agency had previously classified NAION as a very rare side effect of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, estimating a risk of up to 1 in 10,000 users. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also requested drugmakers to update the warnings on GLP-1 drug labels to include the possible increased risk of NAION.

The alert advises medical professionals to cease treatment and conduct immediate examinations if NAION is suspected in patients taking these GLP-1 drugs, which work by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite and blood sugar levels.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.