The Drug Agency warns of a rare risk of sudden blindness associated with the use of Ozempic.

The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) has warned of a possible serious adverse effect linked to the use of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the drugs Ozempic , Rybelsus, and Wegovy, used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. The drug has been associated with an increased risk of developing non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAOI), an eye condition that can cause sudden vision loss.

The warning follows a review by the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), which analyzed data from clinical trials, preclinical studies, adverse reaction reports, and scientific publications.

According to the PRAC's conclusions, the risk of developing Noiana with semaglutide is very rare—it could affect one in every 10,000 patients—but a significant increase has been observed in people with type 2 diabetes treated with this active ingredient: up to twice as many cases compared to those not receiving it. This increase is equivalent to one additional case for every 10,000 patients treated for one year.

For now, the PRAC's conclusions must be ratified by the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), which comprises all the European Union's national medicines agencies.

Ozempic, originally developed to control glucose levels in patients with diabetes, has also become popular in recent years as a treatment for obesity, which has driven up demand worldwide.