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GLP-1 RAs and rare, but severe, eye disorders

Safety alert

Class-wide safety updates for high-profile medicines used to treat diabetes and obesity

Published

Product warnings across the GLP-1 RA class of medicines have been updated due to the potential for these products to cause a rare, but severe, form of eye disorder.

The high-profile glucagon-like-peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) class of prescription medicines are used primarily to manage type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity.

The eye disorder, non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, is a rare condition that may result in permanent visual impairment, including blindness, and no treatment has been shown to improve visual acuity outcomes.

The GLP-1 RA class of medicines currently marketed in Australia are:

* Tirzepatide is a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/GLP-1 RA.

What consumers should do

If you or someone you care for is using one of the GLP-1 RA medicines listed above, you should be alert to any sign of vision loss.

If any changes are noted, stop using the medicine and seek prompt medical attention.

What health professionals should do

Be alert to the new class-wide warnings in the Product Information (PI) documents for GLP1-RAs.

Advise patients to seek urgent medical attention if they experience sudden vision loss, including partial loss of vision.

The Consumer Medicine Information leaflets for each product will be aligned with the PI document updates and these should be provided to patients, if deemed clinically appropriate, as part of the counselling process.

For more detailed information written for health professionals, including the full text of additional warning, see this Medicine Safety Update article.

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