WHO issues global alert on rare vision loss linked to popular diabetes, weight loss drugs
Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a global safety alert warning of a rare but potentially irreversible vision condition associated with popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs containing semaglutide, including Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy.
The alert, released on 27 June, highlights the risk of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition that can lead to sudden, painless, and irreversible loss of vision, typically in one eye.
“There is currently no effective treatment available for NAION, and the vision loss is generally irreversible,” the WHO stated in its warning.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has already acted on this risk by updating the safety profiles of these drugs. Following a comprehensive safety review, the agency’s Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) recommended that NAION be listed as a “very rare” side effect, potentially affecting up to 1 in 10,000 users.
Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, has seen widespread use globally for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. However, the growing popularity of these drugs has also brought new safety concerns to light.
NAION is considered the second most common optic neuropathy after glaucoma and can present without pain, making early detection more challenging. Common symptoms include sudden vision loss and optic disc swelling.
The WHO noted that its global adverse event database, VigiBase, had received several individual case safety reports of NAION linked to semaglutide use from multiple countries. After assessing these reports during its May 2025 meeting, the WHO Advisory Committee on Safety of Medicinal Products (ACSoMP) recommended revising semaglutide’s risk management plans.
Healthcare professionals worldwide are now being urged to inform patients about this potential risk and to remain vigilant. Patients currently using semaglutide or considering it are advised to seek immediate medical help if they experience any sudden changes in vision.
The alert is part of continued pharmacovigilance efforts around GLP-1-based medications, which have transformed diabetes and obesity care but continue to face evolving scrutiny as their use expands.
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
