July 29 — The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has issued a warning about the risk of severe acute pancreatitis with popular diabetes or weight-loss medications
NPRA’s warning related to GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists; 40 products from both classes of drugs are registered in Malaysia, mainly indicated for the management of type 2 diabetes, with selected products also approved for weight management and for cardiovascular risk reduction
“To date, NPRA has received a total of 504 reports containing 1,066 adverse events suspected to be associated with GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists,” said NPRA in a July 22 notice on its website
“Among these, one report each of pancreatitis and acute pancreatitis has been received, both suspected to be associated with semaglutide use. The most frequently reported events include nausea (183), vomiting (111), diarrhoea (37), dizziness (31), and headache (24).”
Most GLP-1 and dual GIP/GLP-1 agonists are injected; some are <a href="https://healthylife7.com/myzone-now-available-to-millions-of-garmin-users/” title=”Myzone Now Available to Millions of Garmin Users”>available in pill form. There are both injectable and oral tablet versions of semaglutide
According to NPRA, acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory condition of the pancreas with highly variable clinical severity. It is categorised into three grades:
- Mild: Absence of organ failure and local or systemic complications.
- Moderately severe: Transient organ failure (resolving within <48 hours), or the presence of local or systemic complications.
- Severe: Persistent organ failure (lasting >48 hours), which frequently involves multiple organ systems.
“The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), through its global safety signal monitoring, noted that the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK MHRA) had issued an update to strengthen warnings in the product information regarding the potential risk of severe acute pancreatitis, including rare reports of necrotising and fatal cases.
“This update was based on the MHRA review of 1,296 reports of pancreatitis associated with GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists received between 2007 and October 2025.”
NPRA noted that pancreatitis may be challenging to recognise in its early stages, as initial symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting may be misattributed to common gastrointestinal side effects of GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP agonist treatment or standard infections
“A review of 39 published case reports up to December 2023 showed a wide variation in time to onset, ranging from within 24 hours of the first dose to 4 years, with a median onset of 2.5 months.”
The pharmaceutical regulator advised health care professionals to be alert to the risk of acute pancreatitis in patients receiving GLP-1 and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists, besides exercising caution when prescribing these drugs to patients with a history of pancreatitis
Patients should seek urgent medical attention if they develop severe and persistent abdominal pain that may radiate to the back, particularly if accompanied by nausea and vomiting
Health care professionals should enquire about GLP-1 or dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist use in any patient presenting with these symptoms, as privately prescribed therapies may not appear on the patient’s medical records
If pancreatitis is suspected, GLP-1 or dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist use should be discontinued immediately. Therapy shouldn’t be restarted if a pancreatitis diagnosis is confirmed
