Ozempic Hair Loss Side Effects Doubled for Users, Study Finds

This is the latest of several studies in recent years linking side effects of Ozempic and Wegovy to hair loss risks.

Ozempic Hair Loss Side Effects Doubled for Women, Study Finds

A new study warns that regular use of Ozempic doubles the risk of hair loss compared to the diet drug Contrave, as the rapid weight loss effects linked to the active ingredient semaglutide puts greater stress on the body.

The study (PDF) was conducted by researchers from the University of British Columbia researchers, reviving some of the oldest concerns about Ozempic hair loss since the drug became the go-to treatment for obesity and weight loss in recent years. However, as more people have been prescribed Ozempic, those side effects have been eclipsed by concerns that the drug may cause certain users to experience stomach paralysis and other severe gastrointestinal problems.

Ozempic (semaglutide) was approved as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017, and is part of a new class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. While it was introduced as a diabetes drug, amid aggressive advertisements that promoted the weight loss benefits, Ozempic has been increasingly prescribed as a diet drug in recent years, making it a blockbuster treatment that is now used by millions of Americans.

As a result of the popularity of Ozempic for weight loss, Novo Nordisk introduced a higher dose version under the brand name Wegovy, which is specifically approved as a diet drug. However, the manufacturer now faces a growing number of Ozempic lawsuits and Wegovy lawsuits being filed by users who say they were not adequately warned about the gastroparesis side effects linked to semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in both drugs.

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In this latest cohort study, a research team led by Dr. Mahyar Etminan looked at data from 16 million patients from 2006 to 2020, including new users of Ozempic or Wegovy, comparing outcomes of weight loss and hair loss against the weight loss drug Contrave (bupropion-naltrexone).

Although the findings have not yet been published for peer review, the researchers indicate that 26.5 semaglutide users out of every 1,000 person-years suffered hair loss. That compares to only 11.8 per 1,000 person-years for Contrave users. As a result, they determined that semaglutide users were more than twice as likely to suffer hair loss than those losing weight via Contrave.

Etminan’s team noted that their findings were similar to previous studies that warned of Ozempic and Wegovy hair loss.

“Although not fully elucidated, it is postulated that hair loss secondary to semaglutide might be due to the physiological stress that rapid weight loss can induce, causing telogen effluvium and leading to increased hair shedding,” the researchers concluded. “This may be more prominent with semaglutide as it is known to decrease weight more rapidly than bupropion-naltrexone, thus inducing greater physiological stress on the body and thus potentially greater hair loss.”

They indicated that those taking Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss may want to consider the hair loss risks, while noting that often the health benefits from the lost weight will outweigh the risks of hair shedding.

Ozempic and Wegovy Lawsuits

Amid growing evidence that supports the Ozempic and Wegovy hair loss side effects, thousands of former users are alraedy pursuing claims against Novo Nordisk for failing to adequately warn about the risk of gastroparesis problems from Ozempic, which can result in hospitalization, intestinal blockages and other long-term damage.

Given common questions of fact and law raised in complaints filed throughout the federal court system, all Ozempic and Wegovy lawsuits have been centralized as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where they are currently being overseen by U.S. District Judge Karen Marston.

Judge Marston has directed the parties to focus in the early stages of the litigation on “cross cutting” issues, which will impact a large number of claims. This includes discovery and pretrial motions regarding general causation evidence about the link between Ozempic and gastroparesis, ileus and other injuries, as well as questions about whether the claims are preempted by federal law and whether plaintiffs will be required to provide specific testing evidence to establish they suffered an injury.

Following the resolution of those issues, Judge Marston is expected to direct the parties to select representative GLP-1 lawsuits for early bellwether test trials, to help gauge how juries will respond to evidence and expert testimony likely to be repeated throughout the litigation.

While the outcomes of such early test trials are not binding on other claims, they could help potentially facilitate a GLP-1 settlement agreement that would avoid the need for each individual case to be set for trial in the future.

Image Credit: Shutterstock: KK Stock

Written By: Irvin Jackson

Senior Legal Journalist & Contributing Editor

Irvin Jackson is a senior investigative reporter at AboutLawsuits.com with more than 30 years of experience covering mass tort litigation, environmental policy, and consumer safety. He previously served as Associate Editor at Inside the EPA and contributes original reporting on product liability lawsuits, regulatory failures, and nationwide litigation trends.

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