The effects of Ozempic and Other Weight Loss Injections

A deep dive into the science and the effects – good and bad – of the controversial drug Ozempic and other weight loss injection

60 Minutes Australia

This in depth 60 Minutes Australia report examines how Ozempic and similar weight loss injections can transform body weight and metabolic health while also posing serious, sometimes deadly risks, helping viewers weigh potential benefits against potential harms.

The video follows several powerful personal stories of people who used Ozempic or similar GLP 1 weight loss injections and experienced dramatic weight loss, pain relief and improved function, alongside families whose loved ones died after severe side effects such as pancreatitis and unexplained collapse. Experts explain how these drugs work, why they have exploded in popularity and why they must be prescribed and monitored carefully rather than obtained casually online. The report also highlights emerging data on gastrointestinal complications, regulatory concerns, off label use for cosmetic weight loss, drug shortages, and the ethical question of risking serious harm in the pursuit of thinness.

Summary

The program explains that Ozempic and related GLP 1 injections were developed for type 2 diabetes but became massively popular when rapid, significant weight loss was recognized as a major side effect.
Viewers meet Shannon, who has lipedema and describes life changing reductions in inflammation, pain and body weight after starting Ozempic, illustrating the potential benefits when used under medical supervision.
Families of Trish Webster, Tim Ramsey and Naomi Rooney describe how their loved ones died after using Saxenda or Ozempic, raising concerns about pancreatitis, severe abdominal pain, sudden collapse and the difficulty of proving causation.
A Canadian patient, Ashley, recounts nearly dying twice from pancreatitis after Ozempic, yet feeling compelled to restart the drug due to intense pressure around weight regain, underscoring the psychological pull of these medications.
Researcher Dr Mahyar Etminan presents data showing about a 5 percent absolute increase in serious gastrointestinal events with these drugs, which becomes significant when millions of people worldwide are taking them.
Endocrinologist Professor Katherine Samaras emphasizes that, when used cautiously and guided by specialists, GLP 1 drugs can be very effective and relatively safe, but that online questionnaires and brief telehealth visits are not enough.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s chief medical adviser, Professor Robyn Langham, discusses current regulations, limits on using Ozempic for weight loss, reporting of deaths, and concerns about compounded semaglutide products that lack full safety testing.
The episode concludes by stressing that Ozempic and similar injections are not a silver bullet, warning strongly against using them just to fit into a dress or impress on social media, and calling for more caution, supervision and prioritizing access for people with diabetes or serious obesity related disease.

Video description

A deep dive into the science and the effects good and bad of the controversial drug Ozempic and other weight loss injection

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Synopsis | Reshaping the World (2024)
Blame it on our success as a wealthy western nation, but we live with an enormous problem. Our size. Too many Australians are too big. Everyone knows excess weight is bad for our health, but battling the bulge is a fight too few of us win. And that’s the reason drugs like Ozempic are in such demand. They promise a quick fix to losing kilos, even though they’re not designed as weight loss remedies. But as Dimity Clancey reports, users need to be very cautious. The Ozempic hype is starting to wither, replaced with the reality that it and similar drugs are risky, even deadly.

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ABOUT 60 Minutes Australia
For over forty years, 60 Minutes Australia have been telling Australians the world’s greatest stories. Tales that changed history, our nation and our lives. Reporters Liz Hayes, Tara Brown, Amelia Adams, Adam Hegarty, Dimity Clancey and Nick McKenzie look past the headlines because there is always a bigger picture. Sundays are for 60 Minutes Australia.

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Transcript Summary

The promise and peril of Ozempic

The video opens by contrasting the “game changing” weight loss many patients experience on Ozempic and similar injections with the possibility of “life ending” risks, including deaths that families link directly to these drugs. Viewers are reminded that Australia, like many wealthy nations, faces a major obesity problem and that this fuels demand for quick fixes such as GLP 1 weight loss injections originally designed for diabetes, not cosmetic slimming. The narrative frames Ozempic as transformational medicine that some compare to historic breakthroughs like penicillin while warning that it is also powerful enough to cause serious harm if misused or poorly monitored.

Shannon’s lipedema and dramatic improvement

Shannon Natalia describes years of debilitating pain from lipedema, an incurable condition that caused abnormal fat accumulation in her lower body, which she likens to walking around in a heavy wetsuit filled with sand. Standard approaches like gym work, cold therapy and recovery sessions offered only minor relief before her general practitioner prescribed Ozempic injections. After starting the drug, she reports feeling “normal” for the first time, with inflammation and pain receding and about 25 kilos of weight loss, leading her to view Ozempic as uniquely effective for her condition.

A “wonder drug” with broad potential

The program explains that Ozempic was developed to treat diabetes but rapidly gained worldwide popularity when its weight loss effects became widely known and shared on social and mainstream media, leading to it being described as a “wonder drug.” Scientists now believe that lipedema is one of many conditions that could potentially be treated with GLP 1 medications, and commentators in the piece even speculate about applications to drug addiction and early Alzheimer’s disease. One endocrinologist compares the arrival of these drugs to the transformative impact of the Model T Ford or penicillin, emphasizing that, while powerful and promising, they are not miracles and carry real risks.

Families grieving deaths linked to injections

The story then shifts to Roy Webster, whose wife Trish used Saxenda, an Ozempic like medication, to lose a few kilos before their daughter’s wedding and later died, becoming one of the first Australian deaths linked to these weight loss injections. After her case aired, other families came forward, including Sue and Elise Ramsey, whose husband and father Tim, a truck driver, started Saxenda hoping to get healthier and live longer but developed severe abdominal pain and died after only 19 days on the drug. The coroner listed Tim’s cause of death as undetermined, yet his family believes the medication played a key role and wants regulators to investigate more aggressively and tighten prescribing practices.

Naomi’s online prescription and sudden death

Leoni Margetts recounts the death of her 39 year old daughter, nurse Naomi Rooney, who was desperate to lose weight to improve her chances of pregnancy and obtained Ozempic online after filling out a simple questionnaire and having a phone consultation. Naomi was found collapsed in front of the toilet and never regained consciousness, with her mother describing the trauma of performing CPR and the haunting memory of seeing her daughter’s blue lips. Leoni is particularly angry at how easy it was for Naomi to access Ozempic without ongoing in person medical supervision and wants stronger safeguards for vulnerable patients seeking weight loss solutions.

A near fatal “perfect storm” of side effects

Canadian patient Ashley Keenan shares that she was considered an ideal candidate for Ozempic because she had diabetes and excess weight yet ended up in intensive care for 10 days with a life threatening gastrointestinal crisis. Doctors told her that a “perfect storm” of Ozempic side effects led to pancreatitis, relentless vomiting and a cascade of complications, nearly costing her life. After recovering and regaining weight, she felt ashamed but returned to Ozempic due to intense pressure to stay thin, only to develop pancreatitis again within two months, which finally convinced her that the medication was too dangerous for her.

Emerging data on gastrointestinal risks

Dr Mahyar Etminan from the University of British Columbia describes his research into serious gastrointestinal conditions among people taking Ozempic and similar drugs for weight loss. He reports an approximate 5 percent increase in absolute risk for GI problems such as pancreatitis compared to controls, which may sound small but translates into hundreds of cases when millions of people are exposed. This analysis raises concern that the global Ozempic craze is leaving a significant number of patients with potentially deadly complications, even as many others benefit.

Expert view: powerful drug, not a toy

Endocrinologist Professor Katherine Samaras insists that when Ozempic and related injections are used appropriately, cautiously and under expert guidance they are “very safe,” but she does not consider them benign. She stresses that these drugs can have severe adverse effects if taken without proper medical supervision, calling out handouts and quick internet consultations as inadequate and arguing that they should not be left in the “hands of people” without specialist oversight. She cautions that Ozempic is not a silver bullet for weight loss and should not be used to quickly slim down for social events, especially when this diverts supply from patients with diabetes or serious obesity.

Regulatory limits and compounded products

Professor Robyn Langham of Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration explains that Ozempic is currently approved only for diabetes treatment, even though many general practitioners prescribe it off label for weight loss despite regulatory guidance to focus limited supplies on people with type 2 diabetes. She explains that each reported death linked to the drug is investigated and that authorities can change safety messaging or withdraw a product if risks clearly outweigh benefits, although a recall is considered a last resort. Langham also highlights worries about pharmacists compounding semaglutide products during shortages, noting that these compounded versions are not the same as Ozempic and have not undergone the same extensive evaluation for safety and efficacy.

Balancing benefits, risks and demand

The program closes by acknowledging that serious adverse events are statistically rare, affecting less than one percent of users, yet emphasizing that each case represents a real person whose death devastates families. It underscores the tension between the overwhelming desire many people feel to be thinner and the significant risks some are willing to accept, especially when quick results are promised. The final message urges those considering Ozempic or similar injections for purely cosmetic reasons to think carefully about the potential cost and to recognize the importance of careful medical supervision and ethical distribution of these powerful drugs.

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