Diabetes drugs linked to

risk of acute gallbladder

disease
Heather Mason   |   02 September 2022
View more articles on:
Diabetes/Endocrinology
Gallbladder and Biliary Disease
General Medicine
Type 2 Diabetes
Vaccination

Although only some glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1

RAs) include warnings and precautions regarding acute gallbladder
disease, there are reported cases of acute cholecystitis among patients
treated with GLP-1 RA products that did not have such warnings and
precautions in the prescribing information approved by the United
States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine, there

were 36 cases of acute cholecystitis associated with GLP-1 RAs
reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Seven
were associated with dulaglutide, 21 with exenatide, one with
lixisenatide, and seven with semaglutide.
,

Among the patients with reported acute cholecystitis, nine had recent
weight loss, with a mean of 7.6 kg for the seven patients for which this
information was recorded. The time from GLP-1 RA initiation to onset
of acute cholecystitis was less than 90 days in 47 per cent of cases.
Acute cholecystitis occurred in 14 patients taking the GLP-1 RA
recommended starting dose and in 14 patients taking the maximum
recommended dose.

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These findings contributed to the revision of the US Prescribing

Information regarding GLP-1 RA products indicated for glycaemic
control to include the risk of acute gallbladder disease.

          

References   Disclaimer 
Woronow D, Chamberlain C, Niak A, Avigan M, Houstoun M, Kortepeter C. Acute
Cholecystitis Associated With the Use of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists
Reported to the US Food and Drug Administration. JAMA Intern Med. 2022 Aug 29. doi:
10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.3810. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36036939