What happens when vision goes bad after taking obesity medication? Ministry of Food and Drug Safety urges caution

If optic neuropathy is suspected, discontinuation of administration and treatment are recommended… Review of changes to permits

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Seon-mi = The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 11th that it has distributed a 'Drug Safety Letter' requiring discontinuation of medication if non-arterial anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is suspected when using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs.

This is a measure based on overseas safety information that GLP-1 drugs used to treat obesity may increase the risk of NAION.

Previously, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required the addition of a warning regarding the risk of vision loss to GLP-1 obesity and diabetes treatments such as Ozempic, Wigobi, and Maunjaro.

NAION is a disease called ‘eye stroke’ and is the second most common cause of optic nerve blindness after glaucoma.

Through this safety letter, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety instructed that if NAION is suspected in a patient receiving GLP-1 drugs, medical experts recommend that the patient stop taking the drug and seek immediate medical attention.

Additionally, patients were asked to immediately notify the medical staff if they experience any related symptoms, such as decreased vision or visual impairment without acute pain in one eye.

In addition, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety requested pharmaceutical companies that supply GLP-1 drugs currently on the market to submit data, including plans for changes to approvals, related to the safety information.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety plans to review changes to precautions for use based on the submitted data.

GLP-1 class drugs include terzepatide (Maunjaro), semaglutide (Wegobee), liraglutide (Saxenda), and efpeglenatide (Efe).

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, in December 2024, one case of suspected NAION vision loss was reported in Korea after administration of GLP-1 obesity treatment drugs.