FDA warning! "Slimming injection" may increase the risk of optic neuropathy; the Food and Drug Administration will initiate a safety re-evaluation

GLP-1 drugs, commonly known as "slimming shots", have been favored by people who want to lose weight in recent years and are also important drugs for the treatment of diabetes. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a drug safety warning on the 9th, pointing out that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs may cause specific rare ischemic optic neuropathy. In response, the Food and Drug Administration stated that it will initiate a safety re-evaluation of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs.

The US FDA issued a drug safety warning on the 9th, stating that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs may increase the risk of the rare "non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)" and may cause sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, or even permanent vision loss. Therefore, relevant drugs are required to add relevant risk information in the "Warnings and Precautions" section of the package label.

Liu Jiaping, the Drug Group of the Food and Drug Administration, said that in June 2025, the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety information risk communication form regarding the risks of NAION in drugs containing semaglutide ingredients to remind medical personnel and the public to pay attention to the relevant risks. In June 2026, they wrote to drug dealers holding licenses for drugs containing semaglutide ingredients to add NAION-related safety information in the "Warnings and Precautions" and "Side Effects/Adverse Reactions" sections of the package inserts.

However, Liu Jiaping said that since this US FDA warning covers all GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, the Food and Drug Administration will initiate a re-evaluation of the overall safety of this type of drugs and take necessary risk management measures based on the evaluation results to ensure the safety of public medication.

Liu Jiaping said that the Food and Drug Administration issued a letter in March this year, requiring drug dealers and medical institutions to strengthen safety monitoring and reporting. This year, my country's national adverse drug reaction notification system received a total of 63 cases of suspected adverse reactions to the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs. The reported symptoms include gastrointestinal diseases (including abdominal pain, intestinal obstruction, pancreatitis), hypoglycemia, nausea, vomiting, injection site discomfort, etc.

The Food and Drug Administration reminds that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs should be evaluated by a physician and used according to medical advice. Do not purchase drugs from unknown or unapproved sources online to avoid increasing medication risks.

In addition, the Food and Drug Administration will continue to strengthen the monitoring and investigation of illegal drug sales on the Internet, investigate and deal with illegal websites selling unapproved drugs in accordance with the law, and coordinate with relevant units to take timely measures such as stopping website analysis and restricting access; at the same time, it will work closely with the customs to strengthen random inspections of imported express parcels to prevent the circulation of illegal drugs and maintain the safety of people's medication.