Britons in middle age may face a higher risk of life-threatening complications from weight-loss injections, according to a striking new analysis.
Figures obtained by the Daily Mail show that more than four times as many deaths associated with the drugs have been reported among people in their 60s as among those in their 40s.
This is despite Britons in their 40s being around three-and-a-half times more likely to receive prescriptions for the medications.
The findings have raised fresh questions about whether older patients are more vulnerable to serious side effects from popular treatments including Mounjaro and Wegovy.
The figures are based on reports submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) through its Yellow Card scheme, which records suspected adverse reactions to medicines.
In total, 311 deaths have now been reported in connection with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists — a 44 per cent rise from the 216 recorded in August.
The reports do not prove that the drugs caused the deaths. They indicate only that patients, relatives or healthcare professionals believed the medicines might have contributed.
However, an age breakdown examined by the Daily Mail revealed a notable pattern, with substantially more deaths reported among people in their 60s than among younger adults. The figures also include one person aged between 10 and 19 who was reported to have died after taking the medication.
The analysis comes as concerns over the safety of weight-loss drugs intensify, with calls for stricter oversight of their use.
Earlier this week, US health officials issued new warnings about Ozempic and other diabetes and weight-loss injections, including Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound. The alerts relate to a rare condition that can cause sudden and permanent loss of sight.
The action by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) follows similar warnings from British regulators in February and European authorities last year.
The latest figures are likely to concern the estimated 2.5 million Britons currently using the injections, medically known as GLP-1 agonists.
Around 200,000 people receive the drugs through the NHS, while most users obtain them privately and pay for the treatment themselves.
Data from The Health Foundation and Click2Pharmacy, which sells the medicines, indicates that people aged 30 to 49 account for about 57 per cent of private GLP-1 prescriptions.
Yet MHRA figures show that this age group represents just 12 per cent of deaths associated with the drugs.
People aged 50 to 69, meanwhile, account for 32.4 per cent — just under one-third — of all private GLP-1 prescriptions.
Despite this, they represent almost half of the reported deaths. The pattern is also evident among older adults, according to the data.
Prescribing falls sharply among people over 69, who account for only 1.5 per cent of Britons taking GLP-1 drugs.
However, this group represents a disproportionate 15 per cent of all reported deaths. Thirty-eight people aged 70 to 79 died from causes associated with the injections, along with nine people in their 80s.
By comparison, 20 adults aged 30 to 39 died from causes linked to the injections, while a further 20 deaths were recorded among people aged 40 to 49.
There were 62 reported deaths among people in their 50s and 88 among those in their 60s.
For most people who take GLP-1 drugs, the medicines will not cause serious complications. Research also suggests they may provide benefits beyond weight loss, including protection against diabetes and possibly dementia and certain cancers.
Nevertheless, the drugs have been associated with potentially fatal complications.
These include severe dehydration and disturbances in the body’s essential minerals, which can trigger abnormal heart rhythms or cardiac arrest. Liver injury and severe flu-like symptoms have also been reported.
Earlier this year, a 19-year-old student died in London after developing an abnormal heart rhythm caused by low blood sugar. A coroner concluded that the condition was likely triggered by tirzepatide, the drug used in Mounjaro.
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Other serious complications associated with the medicines include gallbladder disease and acute pancreatitis — a potentially fatal inflammation of the pancreas that can sometimes lead to organ failure.
Studies indicate that middle-aged and older adults may be more likely to report such problems while taking the drugs.
One possible reason is that older patients are more likely to live with multiple long-term conditions and take several medicines, which may increase the risk of complications.
Pancreatitis can also be more difficult to identify in older patients. Instead of the severe abdominal pain commonly associated with the condition, they may develop less obvious symptoms including confusion, tiredness or mild stomach discomfort.
This can mean the illness is more advanced by the time it is diagnosed.
Experts caution that the findings may partly reflect the fact that older adults are generally more likely to have serious underlying health conditions.
‘People in older age groups have a higher chance of dying anyway,’ says Dr Alex Miras, senior clinical lecturer and consultant endocrinologist at Imperial College London.
‘They are more likely to be unwell or to have severe health conditions than adults in their 40s and 50s — such as advanced diabetes, liver disease or heart disease that has developed over many years.
‘Those conditions themselves increase the risk of serious illness and premature death.
‘Older adults are also more likely to take other medicines that could interact with GLP-1 agonists or independently increase the risk of certain conditions.’
There are also concerns about the impact of rapid weight loss on older patients, particularly the loss of muscle and bone.
Although GLP-1 drugs are highly effective at helping people lose excess fat, studies show that some of the weight lost may be muscle tissue.
This is especially concerning for older people, who naturally lose muscle mass and bone strength as they age.
Further muscle loss can cause weakness and reduced mobility, increasing the risk of falls, while weaker bones make fractures more likely.
A 2017 study found that adults aged 45 to 76 who followed a weight-loss programme for more than a decade had a 39 per cent higher risk of fractures to the hip, shoulder, upper arm or pelvis.
However, experts emphasise that there is currently no convincing evidence that weight-loss drugs are inherently more dangerous for older patients.
‘Real-world evidence is not yet showing us that these medicines do not work for this age group or that they cause problems,’ says Dr Miras.
‘But when we prescribe these drugs to older people, we need to consider carefully what we are trying to achieve and whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks.’
Doctors also note that many of the millions of people taking the drugs already have serious health conditions that increase their risk of illness or death, regardless of whether they are receiving treatment.
Speaking previously to the Mail, Dr Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: ‘When millions of people at higher risk take a medicine, some will inevitably suffer major health events or die while receiving treatment, whether or not the medicine played a role.
‘We also know that some people obtain these medicines privately, and they may not all have significant health conditions, unlike some patients who receive them through the NHS. It is important that anyone experiencing problems reports them to their doctor.’
Regulators have also attempted to reassure patients that serious side effects remain uncommon and that the medicines provide substantial benefits for most people.
Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer, said: ‘For the vast majority of patients prescribed GLP-1s, these are safe and effective medicines that provide significant health benefits.
‘The risk of developing these severe side effects is very small, but patients and healthcare professionals must be aware of them and remain alert to the associated symptoms.’