Nov. 6, 2024 – The FDA has updated the labels for all GLP-1 weight loss drugs with a warning about pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation. The affected drugs are liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza), semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).
“This was a safety-related labeling change for the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist product class,” an FDA spokesperson said.
According to the new label: “There have been rare postmarketing reports of pulmonary aspiration in patients receiving GLP-1 receptor agonists undergoing elective surgeries or procedures requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation who had residual gastric contents despite reported adherence to preoperative fasting recommendations.”
These medications help control blood sugar for people with diabetes. They also slow the movement of food through the gut, helping people feel full longer and lose weight.
Keeping blood sugar steady during surgery is crucial, and so is having an empty stomach before anesthesia or sedation. Otherwise, stomach contents can come up while the patient is unconscious and make their way into the lungs – a dangerous condition doctors call “aspiration.”
Patients on these drugs are counseled to tell their health care provider if they are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sleepiness (deep sedation), according to the new warning.
They are alerted that the GLP-1s they are taking may cause serious side effects, including food or liquid getting into the lungs during surgery or other procedures that use anesthesia or deep sedation.
Patients are also advised to tell all their health care providers that they are taking a GLP-1 before they are scheduled to have surgery or other procedures.
