Marijuana addiction elevates risk for heart attacks and strokes by 60%: study

Puff, puff, maybe you should pass.

New research from the University of Calgary shows that people addicted to marijuana are more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular episodes compared to those without cannabis use disorder.

The study, published Wednesday in Addiction, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, found that adults who misuse cannabis have a 60% higher risk of experiencing their first heart attack, stroke, or other major cardiovascular event.

“Our study doesn’t provide enough information to say that cannabis use disorder causes adverse cardiovascular disease events, but we can go so far as to say that Canadians with cannabis use disorder appear to have a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people without the disorder,” lead author Dr. Anees Bahji said in a statement.

Researchers analyzed data over an eight-year period from nearly 60,000 Canadians — half had a cannabis use disorder diagnosis and half didn’t.

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New research from the University of Calgary shows that people addicted to marijuana are more likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes or other cardiovascular episodes compared to those without cannabis use disorder.

Wiley

A participant was considered to have the disorder if a formal diagnosis by at least one medical professional was made in their medical record.

Researchers noted that data suggests the addiction is under-diagnosed.

Of those with the disorder, 2.4% (721) experienced a first-time cardiovascular disease event between January 2012 to December 2019, compared with just 1.5% (458) in the other group.

Reported problems include heart attacks, strokes, cardiac dysrhythmias, and peripheral vascular disease — when narrowed blood vessels limit blood flow to the limbs.

Even those considered healthy because they had no pre-existing medical conditions, no drug prescription, and few doctor visits, still had 1.4 times the risk of heart problems.

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Researchers analyzed data over an eight-year period from nearly 60,000 Canadians.

AP

The scientists said this elevated risk may be because these participants considered themselves healthy and overlooked warning signs of their declining cardiovascular health.

This study echoes others that have warned of the potential health hazards of frequent cannabis use.

Research presented by the American College of Cardiology earlier this year found that using marijuana every day increases the risk of developing heart disease.

People who use marijuana daily were also found to be more likely to develop coronary artery disease versus those who never used cannabis.

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Previous research has suggested a link between frequent cannabis use and the likelihood of developing a cardiovascular disease.

LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – stock.adobe.com

Recreational marijuana became legal in New York in 2021 — about 2.7 million New Yorkers are said to consume it at least once a month.

As marijuana becomes more legal around the country, experts continue to debate the health risks and benefits of the psychoactive drug.

Some strongly recommend those who partake inform their doctors, so they can better monitor their heart health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for about one in every five US deaths, killing someone every 33 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says these are signs of marijuana use disorder :

• Using more marijuana than intended
• Trying but failing to quit using marijuana
• Spending a lot of time using marijuana
• Craving marijuana
• Using marijuana even though it causes problems at home, school, or work
• Continuing to use marijuana despite social or relationship problems
• Giving up important activities with friends and family in favor of using marijuana
• Using marijuana in high-risk situations, such as while driving a car
• Continuing to use marijuana despite physical or psychological problems
• Needing to use more marijuana to get the same high
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping marijuana use

https://nypost.com/2023/09/28/marijuana-addiction-elevates-risk-for-heart-attacks-strokes-by-60-study/

How to halt New York’s ubiquitous illegal pot blight

 The state Office of Cannabis Control has not demonstrated any capacity to control illegal pot distribution — more than 8,000 unlicensed “dispensaries” are thought to be operating in the city.

The state has at least signaled a small step in a better direction: authorizing existing medical-marijuana outlets, whose products are more likely to be clean and safe, to begin to sell “recreational” weed this coming Wednesday.

But much more must be done to crack down on the illegals, which are enabling the ubiquitous pot smoke that suffused the US Open and signals to tourists the city is out of control.

There is a good way to put them out of business — if we heed the lesson of former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and the “squeegee men” who once plagued city motorists.

Shortly after he became commissioner in 1994, Bratton issued the memo “Police Strategy No. 5: Reclaiming the Public Spaces of New York.”

Police would target everything from reckless biking to the notorious squeegee men who harassed drivers at intersections.

“Much of this antisocial behavior is illegal,” said the memo, “but for many years police managers have not taken aggressive action to restore order to public places.”

Thus was put into practice “broken-windows policing.”

The plague of unlicensed cannabis dispensaries has similar implications for public order as the matters Bratton highlighted.

The very fact some 8,000 illegal weed outlets have been allowed to operate with minimal law-enforcement pushback not only makes a dangerous drug more easily available to the underaged but sends a powerful message that the authorities aren’t in control.

That illegal pot may be adulterated makes matters even worse.

It’s a problem that demands not just law enforcement but imaginative versions of it.

One of the key methods Bratton employed offers an approach: what economists call the “signaling effect,” the high-profile use of the bully pulpit and punishment.

Public officials’ signaling is based on the understanding actions not only target individual violators but (reinforced by publicity) influence others.

Famously, the work requirement of 1996’s welfare reform motivated those on public assistance to find jobs even before the law took effect.

I saw a similar result through research I did in Hong Kong when the British still governed it.

A profusion of “unauthorized building works” — exterior balconies added to apartments to increase their sleeping area — were too often collapsing on sidewalks below, injuring pedestrians.

The government cracked down by raiding and padlocking select violators — and making sure the public knew.

It’s notable how little leverage Bratton actually had to control those he called “squeegee pests.”

Their violation was a minor misdemeanor, like a parking ticket.

Some would be held overnight.

But by signaling their behavior should not be tolerated — and harassing violators at high-profile intersections — the squeegee guys gradually disappeared.

The NYPD today has a much stronger hand to play in bringing order to the cannabis market — which the state has mismanaged so far in virtually every way possible.

Weed was declared legal before retail licenses were issued.

The state gave licensing priority to convicted drug dealers — in violation, as the courts have found, of the legalization law itself, which prioritizes other groups as well.

But more recently, both the state and city have woken up to the need to crack down on the likes of bodegas selling under- (or even over)-the-counter pot.

New York City Local Law 107 of 2023, passed in August, prohibits commercial landlords from knowingly leasing retail space to smoke shops selling unlicensed marijuana, cigarette or tobacco products.

Once warned by police that such activity is taking place, building owners can be fined up to $10,000.

It’s a smart approach — but one looks in vain for high-profile raids like those police love to stage for TV cameras when they arrest gang members.

We need perp walks for owners, both of buildings and bodegas, and padlocks on the businesses — just as happens to liquor stores that sell to the underaged.

Some of us still believe legalizing “recreational” marijuana was a great mistake, especially as more research makes clear the damage the drug can do, especially to the brains of young adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has never found it to provide demonstrated medical benefits.

And the agency notes some will develop “marijuana use disorder” — which we might call addiction, with resulting life disruption.

State promotion of its use — to realize sales-tax revenue — is morally corrupt.

Legalization should come with prominent public-health warnings, beyond the state’s ads saying pot is for adult use only.

All that said, authorities must create order from the cannabis-market chaos.

Signaling offers a way to do it.

Howard Husock is an American Enterprise Institute senior fellow.

https://nypost.com/2023/09/28/how-to-halt-new-yorks-ubiquitous-illegal-pot-blight/

10 reasons why it is worth investigating Joe Biden

 Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University and longtime contributor to the New York Post, testified yesterday to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, explaining that he believes enough suspicion surrounds President Biden to warrant and impeachment investigation. Here’s an excerpt from his opening remarks:

It is important to emphasize what this hearing is not.

It is not a hearing on articles of impeachment. 

I have previously stated that, while I believe that an impeachment inquiry is warranted, I do not believe that the evidence currently meets the standard of a high crime and misdemeanor needed for an article of impeachment. 

My testimony also reflects the fact that I do believe that, after months of investigation, the House has passed the threshold for an inquiry into whether President Joe Biden was directly involved or benefited from the corrupt practices of his son, Hunter, and others. 

I believe that the record has developed to the point that the House needs to answer troubling questions surrounding the ­President. 

I wanted to note a few of those allegations at the outset that collectively warrant a formal ­inquiry. 

The record currently contains witness and written evidence that the President (1) has lied about key facts in these foreign dealings, (2) was the focus of a multimillion-dollar influence peddling scheme, and (3) may have benefitted from this corruption through millions of dollars sent to his family as well as more direct possible benefits. 

The President may be able to disprove or rebut these points, but they raise legitimate concerns over his role based on the accounts of key figures in the matter. 

Consider just 10 of the disclosures from the prior investigation: 

1. Hunter Biden and his associates were running a classic influence peddling operation using Joe Biden as what Devon Archer called “the Brand.” While this was described as an “illusion of access,” millions were generated for the Bidens from some of the most corrupt figures in the world, including associates who were later accused of or convicted of public corruption. 

2. Some of the Biden clients pushed for changes impacting United States foreign policy and relations, including help in dealing with Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin investigating corruption. 

3. President Biden has made false claims about his knowledge of these dealings repeatedly in the past, including insisting that he had no knowledge of Hunter’s foreign dealings, which Archer has declared “patently false.” The Washington Post and other media outlets have also declared the President’s insistence that his family did not take money from China is false. 

4. The President had been aware for years that Hunter Biden and his uncle James were accused of influence peddling, including an audiotape of the President acknowledging a New York Times investigation as a threat to Hunter. 

5. President Biden was repeatedly called into meetings with these foreign clients and was put on speakerphone. He also met these clients and foreign figures at dinners and meetings. 

6. E-mails and other communications show Hunter repeatedly invoking his father to secure payments from foreign sources and, in one such message, he threatens a Chinese figure that his father is sitting next to him to coerce a large transfer of money. 

7. A trusted FBI source recounted a direct claim of a corrupt Ukrainian businessman that he paid a “bribe” to Joe Biden through intermediaries. 

8. Hunter Biden reportedly claimed that he had to give half of his earnings to his father and other e-mails state that intermingled accounts were used to pay bills for both men, including a possible credit account that Hunter used to allegedly pay prostitutes. 

9. At least two transfers of funds to Hunter Biden in 2019 from a Chinese source listed the President’s home in Delaware where Hunter sometimes lived and conducted business. 

10. Some of the deals negotiated by Hunter involved potential benefits for his father, including office space in Washington. At least nine Biden family members reportedly received money from these foreign transfers, including grandchildren. For Hunter Biden, this included not just significant money transfers but gifts like an expensive diamond and a luxury car. 

These are only some of the serious corruption allegations facing the President, but each could raise impeachable conduct if a nexus is established to the President

https://nypost.com/2023/09/28/10-reasons-why-it-is-worth-investigating-joe-biden/

Progression of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder that leads to the deterioration of specific types of neurons in the brain, resulting in a number of motor and non-motor symptoms. It is currently estimated that more than 10 million people in the world are living with Parkinson's disease, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's. That number is expected to swell up to 14 million by 2040 in what is being referred to as the Parkinson's pandemic.

One of the key events in Parkinson's disease is the accumulation of a protein called alpha-synuclein inside neurons. That accumulation disrupts the normal functioning of the cells, giving rise to the symptoms of Parkinson's and other disorders, and progresses into aggregates called Lewy bodies.

In a new study, researchers from two labs at EPFL have combined their expertise to explore how alpha-synuclein disrupts metabolic processes within neurons. The study is a truly interdisciplinary collaboration between the Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy of Bernard Schneider and the group of Anders Meibom at EPFL, with support from EPFL's Bioelectron Microscopy Core Facility.

The work is published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications.

The researchers used cutting-edge imaging techniques, including an analytical instrument called NanoSIMS (Nanoscale Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry). NanoSIMS is an "ion microprobe" that combines high spatial resolution (50–150 nm), high-resolution mass spectrometry, and high analytical sensitivity, which allow it to produce sub-cellular maps of metabolic turnover with extreme sensitivity. Meibom's lab at EPFL has famously used NanoSIMS for a number of ecological and geological studies.

In this study, the researchers combined NanoSIMS with stable isotope labeling, to visualize isotopic variations within tissues at high resolution, providing insights into the metabolic activity of individual cellular compartments and organelles. They combined this with Electron Microscopy to "see" more information from biological samples.

To model Parkinson's disease, the team used genetically modified rats that overexpressed human alpha-synuclein in one hemisphere of the brain, leaving the other healthy as a control. By comparing the neurons overexpressing alpha-synuclein to those in the control hemisphere, the scientists uncovered significant changes in the way carbon molecules are incorporated and processed within neurons.

One of the most remarkable findings was the effect of alpha-synuclein on the turnover of carbon within neurons. Neurons overexpressing alpha-synuclein showed a heightened overall turnover of macromolecules, suggesting that the accumulation of alpha-synuclein may lead to increased metabolic demands on these cells.

The CryoNanoSIMS setup at EPFL. Credit: Anders Meibom (EPFL)

The study also found changes in the distribution of carbon between different cellular compartments, such as the nucleus and cytoplasm, which may be influenced by alpha-synuclein's interaction with DNA and histones.

The metabolic disruptions caused by alpha-synuclein also seem to affect specific organelles: Mitochondria, for example, showed abnormal carbon incorporation and turnover patterns, which agrees with previous studies showing that alpha-synuclein impairs mitochondrial function. Similarly, the Golgi apparatus—responsible for cellular trafficking and communication—exhibited metabolic defects that were likely caused by alpha-synuclein disrupting inter-organelle communication.

"This study shows the potential of the NanoSIMS technology to reveal metabolic changes in the brain, with unprecedented resolution, at the subcellular level," says Bernard Schneider. "It hands us a tool to study early pathological changes occurring in vulnerable neurons as a consequence of alpha-synuclein accumulation, a mechanism directly linked to Parkinson's disease."

More information: Sofia Spataro, Stable isotope labeling and ultra-high-resolution NanoSIMS imaging reveal alpha-synuclein-induced changes in neuronal metabolism in vivo., Acta Neuropathologica Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01608-8 

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-09-deep-parkinson-disease.html

Cancer Risk in NAFLD Higher With Early Disease Onset

 The risk for cancer in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was highest among those with early-onset disease and declined at later ages of diagnosis, a matched cohort study found.

Examining more than 60,000 participants from a prospective Chinese dataset revealed that the increased risk of malignancy with NAFLD was highest among patients diagnosed before the age of 45 (average hazard ratio [AHR] 1.52, 95% CI 1.09-2.12), reported Hanping Shi, MD, PhD, of Beijing Shijitan Hospital Capital Medical University, and colleagues.

The increased risk in this age group was primarily driven by malignancies of the digestive system (AHR 2.00, 95% CI 1.08-3.47) and lungs (AHR 2.14, 95% CI 1.05-4.36), according to the findings in JAMA Network Openopens in a new tab or window.

"The increasing incidence of NAFLD among younger populations highlights the underestimation of harmful outcomes associated with this condition," wrote Shi and colleagues. "Our findings suggest that early control and intervention against NAFLD progression may be crucial to reduce the occurrence of NAFLD-related cancers and lessen the burden on public health."

One-third of liver disease-related deaths occur in people who had been diagnosed with NAFLD before the age of 30, they noted. Even children and young adults are diagnosed with NAFLD, putting them at increased mortality riskopens in a new tab or window.

"Unfortunately, NAFLD is usually insidious in onset, asymptomatic at presentation, and may only be identified in the early stages by aminotransferase elevation," said Andrew Talal, MD, MPH, of the University at Buffalo in New York, who was not involved in the research.

"Healthcare providers, including pediatricians and those in primary care, need to be alert for the diagnosis," he told MedPage Today.

While multiple prior studies have linked NAFLD with an increased risk for cancer, as well as liver decompensationopens in a new tab or window, it's been unclear whether the age of NAFLD onset factored into the degree of cancer risk.

In their study, Shi and colleagues found that 17.83% (95% CI 4.92-29.86) of the cancer risk among NAFLD patients under age 45 could be attributed to their fatty liver disease, a number that declined with age.

"Mechanically, as NAFLD progresses, lipid accumulation in liver cells leads to oxidative damage and DNA mismatch repair, which act as driving factors for cancer," they explained. "Our research highlights the dangers associated with early exposure to NAFLD. Patients with NAFLD in their early stage of life may experience metabolic disorders with sustained liver damage."

Talal noted that "inflammation is another potential contributor that can place stress on hepatocytes, causing them to age, which can lead to fat accumulation promoting liver fibrosis and liver cancer."

He added that from a public health perspective, "screening and surveillance programs might be considered especially amongst young individuals with additional risk factors for NAFLD."

For their study, the researchers initially identified 46,100 participants with new-onset NAFLD enrolled in the Chinese Kailuan Cohort Study from 2006 to 2021, matching 31,848 of them by age and sex with an equal number of controls.

In the NAFLD group, the largest share had their NAFLD diagnosed from ages 45 through 54 years (n=10,271), followed by those under 45 years (n=8,984), those 55 to 64 (n=8,585), and those 65 and over (n=4,008).

Matched participants had an average age of 51 years, the vast majority were men (83%), about a fifth were current smokers, and 10% had diabetes. A slightly higher proportion of NAFLD patients had hypertension versus controls (46% vs 39%), and the NAFLD patients had a greater body mass index, a larger waist circumference, and were less likely to exercise regularly. They also had higher levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and alanine aminotransferase.

Over a median follow-up of 10.16 years, cancer was diagnosed in 2,415 patients, with 53% of the cancers occurring in the NAFLD group. The bulk of the cancers (69%) occurred in people ages 45 to 64 years, with 32% located in the digestive tract (mostly colorectal, liver, and stomach) and 29% in the lungs.

Increased risk for cancer among the NAFLD patients appeared similarly high for those ages 45 to 54 years, but then declined with increasing age (P<0.001 for interaction):

• 45-54 years: AHR 1.50 (95% CI 1.15-1.97)
• 55-64 years: AHR 1.13 (95% CI 0.97-1.33)
• ≥65 years: AHR 0.75 (95% CI 0.45-1.27)

Looking at digestive cancers specifically showed similar results (P<0.001 for interaction):

• 45-54 years: AHR 1.94 (95% CI 1.46-2.74)
• 55-64 years: AHR 1.13 (95% CI 0.85-1.51)
• ≥65 years: AHR 0.71 (95% CI 0.50-1.02)

Study limitations included that the Kailuan cohort primarily consists of male workers, that NAFLD was diagnosed by ultrasound rather than liver biopsy, and that researchers lacked details on the extent of NAFLD and liver fibrosis. Also, some cancers were diagnosed in small numbers, which limited analyses by age.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/gastroenterology/generalhepatology/106522

New Insight Into Hyperglycemia Risk With PI3K Inhibitor for Breast Cancer

 Severe hyperglycemia has emerged as a common side effect among patients with PIK3CA-mutated breast cancer treated with the PI3K inhibitor alpelisib (Piqray), especially patients treated outside a clinical trial, a retrospective study showed.

Overall, 61.5% of 247 patients developed any degree of hyperglycemia, which reached grade 3/4 severity in 29%. Any grade of hyperglycemia occurred in 34.0% of patients who received alpelisib in a clinical trial versus 80.3% of patients treated in the community. Severe hyperglycemia occurred in 40.2% versus 13.0% of patients treated in community and clinical trial settings, respectively

An elevated HbA1c level at baseline was associated with an increased likelihood of developing hyperglycemia, highlighting the need to optimize blood sugar levels before starting treatment with alpelisib, reported Sherry Shen, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, and colleagues in Canceropens in a new tab or window.

"This needs to be done months before initiating alpelisib, because once alpelisib is started, hyperglycemia usually develops within the first 2 weeks of treatment," Shen said in a statementopens in a new tab or window. "Being pre-emptive about improving glycemic status and treating prediabetes/diabetes will hopefully lower the patient's risk of developing hyperglycemia and thus, lower their risk of needing to discontinue a drug that could be effective for their cancer."

More than 40% of hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancers and almost a fourth of HER2-positive breast cancers harbor PIK3CA mutations. PIK3CA encodes the p110-alpha subunit of PI3K, which mediates insulin signaling and cell growthopens in a new tab or window. Cancer cells exploit the pathway to increase nutrient uptake and trigger uncontrolled proliferation and cell survival, Shen and co-authors noted in their introduction.

Alpelisib is the only PI3K inhibitor approved for breast canceropens in a new tab or window (in combination with fulvestrant). Hyperglycemia is a known frequent adverse effect of PI3K inhibition. In the phase III SOLAR-1 trialopens in a new tab or window, 63.7% of patients treated with alpelisib developed hyperglycemia, including 36.6% with grade 3/4 severity. Metformin was the standard antihyperglycemic agent used to treat patients in the trial. Ultimately, 6.3% of patients discontinued treatment because of hyperglycemia.

Data on the frequency and severity of hyperglycemia in community-treated patients remain sparse. Additionally, "we didn't really know what the risk factors were for developing hyperglycemia with alpelisib," Shen told MedPage Today.

To inform decision making about using the PI3K inhibitor to treat breast cancer, investigators at MSKCC reviewed records of patients with breast cancer treated with alpelisib from Jan. 1, 2013 to Oct. 15, 2021. They identified 247 patients who had confirmed treatment with alpelisib (not just evidence of a prescription). The patients had a baseline median body mass index (BMI) of 25.4 and median HbA1c of 5.5%.

Overall, 152 of 247 patients developed hyperglycemia during treatment with alpelisib, including 72 who had grade 3/4 hyperglycemia. The median time to onset of hyperglycemia was 16 days. Significantly more patients treated in the community developed hyperglycemia and severe hyperglycemia as compared with those treated in clinical trials (P<0.001).

Baseline HbA1c had significant associations with development of hyperglycemia (P<0.001) and for alpelisib dose reduction or discontinuation (P=0.015). Among patients who developed hyperglycemia, 40.9% received treatment, which most often was metformin. Additionally, 19.8% of patients were referred to an endocrinologist, which was associated with a prescription for an SGLT2 inhibitor (P=0.007).

"We identified prediabetes and diabetes, as determined by an abnormal hemoglobin A1c, as putting patients at high risk of developing high blood sugar," said Shen. "There are patients in whom I would be very reluctant to use alpelisib, particularly patients who have a known diagnosis of diabetes that requires several different types of medications to control their blood sugar, and those in whom, despite those medications, their blood sugar is still not well controlled. I wouldn't want to give them alpelisib for fear of causing that side effect, which can be dangerous."

For patients deemed at too high of a risk to give the PI3K inhibitor, the mTOR inhibitor everolimus (Afinitor) is an option, Shen added.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/hematologyoncology/breastcancer/106546

FDA Adds Intestinal Blockage Reports to Ozempic Labeling

 The FDA added the postmarketing reports of ileus, or blocked intestines, to the drug labeling

opens in a new tab or window for semaglutide (Ozempic).

"Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure," the drug label notes.

The injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist is indicated for type 2 diabetes, but its popularity as an off-label weight-loss drug has skyrocketed.

Labeling for semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy) -- indicated for obesity -- already reflects the potential adverse reactionopens in a new tab or window based on postmarketing reports, noting that gastrointestinal disorders can include "acute pancreatitis and necrotizing pancreatitis, sometimes resulting in death, ileus."

Ileus can cause cramping and pain, the inability to have a bowel movement, swelling, vomiting, or lack of appetite, according to the Mayo Clinic. It often leads to hospitalizationopens in a new tab or window to first stabilize the condition, followed by a barium or air enema or, for complete intestinal obstruction, surgery. For a pseudo-obstruction, a doctor may prescribe medication to cause muscle contractions, stop the medication causing the obstruction, or use a decompression treatment.

Labeling for tirzepatide (Mounjaro), a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes, was changed to addopens in a new tab or window ileus as a potential side effect based on postmarketing reports in July.

Both drugs can also cause gastroparesis, a delay of the stomach emptying process in which normal contraction of the stomach muscles is slowed down or even stopped, which has become a safety concern of late for surgical patientsopens in a new tab or window due to the risk of aspiration. Drug labels for both mention "delay of gastric emptying" under potential drug interactions, but not under warnings or adverse events.

Drugmakers for semaglutide and tirzepatide, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, are facing a lawsuit from a Louisiana woman who, according to court filings

opens in a new tab or window, was "hospitalized for stomach issues on several occasions including visits to the emergency room," and had "teeth falling out due to excessive vomiting" -- among other medical problems -- after being prescribed first semaglutide and later tirzepatide.

An emailed statement from Novo Nordisk in response to questions from MedPage Today about ileus noted, in part, that "ileus is a gastrointestinal reaction that was reported in the postmarketing setting with Ozempic and with other GLP-1 receptor agonists."

"Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of Ozempic and all of our medicines when used consistent with the product labeling and the approved indications. For Ozempic, the most commonly reported side effects include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, and constipation," the statement added.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/diabetes/106535