‘Bubbly and kind’ nurse dies in first confirmed UK death linked to NHS weight loss jabs

A woman has died after taking a weight loss jab in what is believed to be the first confirmed death linked to the drugs. Nurse Susan McGowan, 58, had taken two doses of the new generation weight loss jabs before her untimely death in September.

These injections, which are designed to make individuals feel full more quickly, have been praised as a potential lifesaver for the NHS, and there are plans to offer them to unemployed obese individuals to assist them in returning to work. Susan, who worked as an NHS bed manager, bought a low dose of the drug Mounjaro privately. This particular medication has earned the nickname “King Kong” among weight loss injections and was introduced to around 250,000 NHS patients last year.

Her niece, Jade Campbell, who was present when Susan died, shared with the BBC: “It was so quick. I still find myself thinking, ‘has that actually happened?’ Susan had always carried a wee bit of extra weight but there were never any health concerns. She wasn’t on any other medication. She was healthy. Susan was such a bubbly person. She was really generous, she was really kind and she was the life of the party – a huge personality. They said she had the biggest laugh in the hospital.”

Weight loss injections, known as GLP-1 agonists, are designed to slow digestion and reduce appetite by mimicking hormones that regulate hunger and feelings of fullness. They act like the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Mounjaro, also known as tirzepatide, was listed as a contributing factor on Susan’s death certificate, which cites multiple organ failure, septic shock, and pancreatitis as the immediate cause. This is believed to be the first confirmed death linked to a GLP-1 agonist, reports the Mirror.

Public data for Mounjaro is only available up to May this year, but between January and May 2024, there were 208 reports of it on the NHS yellow card scheme, including 31 serious reactions and one suspected death of a man in his sixties. The most popular GLP-1 agonist is semaglutide, known by the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, and there have been 23 suspected UK deaths linked to it via the yellow card scheme since 2019.

Susan’s family said she began experiencing severe stomach pains and sickness days after her second injection. She worked at University Hospital Monklands in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, where she was taken to A&E and her colleagues fought to save her life.

Dr Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), expressed her condolences and emphasised the importance of drug safety: “Our sincere sympathies are with the family of individual concerned. 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. On the basis of the current evidence the benefits of GLP-1 RAs outweigh the potential risks when used for the licensed indications.”

The BBC reported that the nurse conducted her own research into the injections and sought medical advice before obtaining a prescription from a registered online pharmacy. In the UK, weight loss injections can be purchased from any registered pharmacy, but customers must provide health information.

Due to high demand, the NHS has announced a phased rollout of Mounjaro after its approval for obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment. The NHS plans to trial and gradually expand online and community support services for the rollout, as the drug requires clinician-provided weight management support.

Currently, the NHS lacks the capacity to prescribe Mounjaro to all eligible patients and will initially offer it to those who are most severely obese and unwell.

Mounjaro, which typically costs between £150 and £200 privately for a four-week supply, is manufactured by Lilly. A representative from Lilly stated: “We are committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety information for all Lilly medicines. Mounjaro was approved based on extensive assessment of the benefits and risks of the medicine, and we provide information about the benefits and risks of all our medicines to regulators around the world to ensure the latest information is available for prescribers.”

Its rival drug semaglutide has also seen global shortages after celebrities including Sharon Osbourne, Elon Musk and even ex-PM Boris Johnson boasted about buying them privately for weight loss. After them came along Mounjaro which, as well as mimicking GLP-1, also targeted a hormone called GIP to boost this effect on appetite suppression. Trials showed Mounjaro could help obese people lose 21% of their body weight in 72 weeks.

However many patients on GLP-1 drugs have complained of unbearable side effects such as vomiting and stomach cramps. When prescribed on the NHS they must come with tailored advice and support because research suggests that without sustained lifestyle changes users tend to lose muscle mass before putting fat back on.

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