Weight Loss Injections Linked to Blindness; Black Market Sales of Non-FDA Approved Drugs Surge

A newly published study examined the association between weight loss injections and blindness, as a survey finds that one out of eight American adults have taken these drugs at some point. The study analyzed just nine individuals who developed severe vision problems while taking semaglutide injections, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, or tirzepatide injections, such as Mounjaro and Zepbound.

Seven participants developed a condition called non-arteritic ischemic anterior optic neuropathy (NAOIN), a form of sudden vision loss caused by a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve. The condition is typically permanent. One participant had bilateral papillitis, a vision impairment caused by swelling of the optic nerve. This condition can also be permanent. The other patient had paracentral acute middle maculopathy, a form of vision loss caused by a sudden blind spot in the central part of the eye.

The researchers said the study cannot definitively say the injections caused the vision loss. A study published last summer examined 629 NAOIN (Non-Arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy) cases over six years. The researchers said the results “reveal a substantially increased risk of NAION among individuals prescribed semaglutide relative to those prescribed other medications to treat T2D and obesity or overweight. This risk appears not to be due to differences in baseline characteristics between the cohorts.”

The Multidistrict Litigation has 1,311 pending cases against manufacturers of GLP-1 Inhibitors as of January 2, 2025. 

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, published a January study examining liraglutide’s effects on children aged 6-12. Eighty-two children were in the study, and two-thirds of them received liraglutide. 11.1% of the children in the liraglutide group discontinued the study due to side effects compared to 3.6% in the placebo group. 63% of children in the liraglutide group had nausea compared to 21.4% in the control group. 48.1% of the children in the liraglutide experienced vomiting compared to  10.7% in the control group.  

Following the confirmation vote last Thursday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He has expressed concern about the attempt to medicate children as young as six years old who are overweight or obese by giving them access to weight loss injections.

Kennedy appeared on Gutfeld in October and explained that a Congressional bill to make weight loss injections available to everyone who is overweight would cost the American government $3 trillion a year. That is based on a $1,600 per month price tag and 74% of the American population being overweight or obese.

“If we spend about one-fifth of that giving good food, three meals a day to every man, woman, and child in our country, we can solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight for a tiny fraction of the cost,” Kennedy said.

The HighWire has reported severe Ozempic side effects since 2023, including suicidal ideation, stomach paralysis, and “life-long diarrhea.” Model Lonnie Moss told her followers not take the drug after she experienced “scary” and “horrible” seizures while not being able to keep food down after overdosing on the medication. In September, The HighWire reported about a 640% increase in overdose calls regarding weight loss injections to the Utah Poison Control Center since 2020.

The shortage of the drug has created a dangerous black market for weight loss injections, including sales on Facebook Marketplace. The injections are often referenced as “skinny jabs” marketed to individuals who are not overweight, but would like to “tone” their bodies to become “beach body ready.”

Hims and Hers aired a 60-second Super Bowl ad for weight loss injections that are not approved by the FDA and received stark criticism. 30-second Super Bowl ads reportedly cost $8 million, so Hims and Hers spent as much as $16 million for the drug ad.

The ad referred to the $16 billion weight loss industry and criticized a pharmaceutical system that prioritizes profit over patients. It said that people’s bodies are not broken, but the system is. Then it suggested purchasing drugs from Hims and Hers with a small disclaimer at the bottom stating the drugs are not FDA approved.

Days before the presidential election in November, Kennedy expressed his intent to ban pharmaceutical advertising from TV at a Trump rally. He said, “One of the things I’m going to advise Donald Trump to do in order to correct the chronic disease epidemic is to ban pharmaceutical advertising on TV.”

The United States and New Zealand are the only countries that allow pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to consumers. Kennedy has criticized this relationship as it can impact how news outlets report about issues pertaining to pharmaceutical companies. In 2023, Kennedy said, “The media is an extension of the pharmaceutical industry. 75% of advertising revenues on the mainstream media are now coming from pharma. Anderson Cooper has a $12 million annual salary. Well, 10 million of that is coming from Pfizer. So his boss is not CNN; his boss is Pfizer.“