Tragedy struck as Susan McGowan, a 58 year old NHS bed manager, died after taking two doses of the weight loss drug Mounjaro, which has been hailed as the “King Kong” of slimming injections. Despite being prescribed to over 250,000 patients since its introduction by the NHS, Susan opted to purchase the drug privately.
Following her second jab, she suffered severe stomach pains and sickness, leading to her death in the A&E department where she worked at University Hospital Monklands in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her niece, Jade Campbell, remembered Susan as a “bubbly” and “generous” individual with a “huge personality,” telling 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, which slow digestion and curb appetite, are in the spotlight following the tragic death of Susan attributed partly to Mounjaro, also called tirzepatide. These jabs imitate hunger-regulating hormones, particularly glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
Susan’s death certificate cites multiple organ failure, septic shock, and pancreatitis, with Mounjaro usage recorded as a contributing element, marking the first confirmed fatality linked to a GLP-1 agonist. Public data on Mounjaro is available only up to May, but within the January to May window, the NHS yellow card scheme received 208 reports including 31 serious incidents and one suspected male death in his sixties, reports Daily Star.
The most commonly used GLP-1 agonist, semaglutide under the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, has had 23 UK suspected deaths connected to it reported since 2019. In response to the incident, Dr Alison Cave from the MHRA expressed condolences and emphasised that patient safety is paramount, stating “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 has reported that the nurse conducted her own research into the jabs and sought medical advice before purchasing a prescription via a registered online pharmacy. Weight loss injections can be obtained from any registered pharmacy in the UK, but buyers must provide information about their health.
Due to high demand, the health service has announced a phased rollout of Mounjaro after it was approved for obesity as well as type 2 diabetes. The NHS will trial and gradually expand online and community support services to facilitate the rollout, as the drug can only be prescribed with weight management support from clinicians.
The NHS does not currently have the capacity to prescribe Mounjaro to everyone eligible, so it will initially offer it to the most severely obese and unwell.
