$NOVO B (-7,77 %) In Denmark, four patients will receive compensation from the state after suffering severe visual damage following the use of the weight loss drug Wegovy and the diabetes drug Ozempic. This was announced by the Danish Patient Compensation Authority (Patienterstatningen). Together, the four patients will receive compensation payments worth the equivalent of around 107,000 euros.
The patients have developed the eye disease NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy), which results in severe, mostly permanent visual impairment. In June, the responsible committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) came to the conclusion that NAION is a very rare side effect of medicines containing the active ingredient semaglutide - such as Wegovy and Ozempic. Statistically, it affects up to one in 10,000 patients.
If patients notice a sudden loss of vision or a rapidly increasing deterioration of vision during treatment with semaglutide, they should contact their doctor immediately, writes the EMA. "If NAION is confirmed, treatment with semaglutide should be discontinued."
Authority speaks of "complex cases"
According to the Danish authority, 43 patients in Denmark have applied for compensation so far. Five of these have now been processed. One application was rejected and four patients were awarded compensation.
These are very complex cases, the authority explained. On the one hand, because the drugs are quite new, and on the other hand, because the patients concerned were already at a higher risk of developing NAION due to their pre-existing conditions, including diabetes and high blood pressure.
The drugs Ozempic and Wegovy from the Danish pharmaceutical company are also extremely popular in Germany. In this country, they are also approved for type 2 diabetes and many cases of obesity.
