Nurse becomes first UK death linked to NHS-approved weight-loss jab Mounjaro

8 November 2024, 12:36 | Updated: 8 November 2024, 12:57

Susan McGowan died after taking the weight-loss drug tirzepatide
Susan McGowan died after taking the weight-loss drug tirzepatide. Picture: Facebook

By Henry Moore

A weight drug recently legalised in the UK contributed to the death of a 58-year-old nurse, according to a new report.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Susan McGowan took two doses of tirzepatide, under the Mounjaro brand, in the two weeks before she died on September 4.

Her death certificate reported organ failure and septic shock as her cause of death, but included the “use of prescribed tirzepatide” as a contributing factor, according to reports.

The nurse had worked at University Hospital Monklands for more than 30 years.

Ms McGowan began taking the weight loss drug through an online prescription after researching it online.

Mounjaro can be purchased from any registered pharmacy in the UK, with a four week supply costing between £150 and £200.

Read more: Weight loss jabs to help obese people back to work: What are Ozempic and Mounjaro and what are the effects?

Read more: Princess Kate to join royals at Remembrance events this weekend - but Queen's attendance depends on medical advice

The company has insisted the safety of its customers is its top priority.

Mounjaro is manufactured by Eli Lilly
Mounjaro is manufactured by Eli Lilly. Picture: Getty

A spokesperson said: “We are committed to continually monitoring, evaluating and reporting safety information for all Lilly medicines.

“Mounjaro was approved based on extensive assessment of the benefits and risks of the medicine, and we provide information about the benefits and risks of all our medicines to regulators around the world to ensure the latest information is available for prescribers.”

Hours after Ms McGowan took her second dose of the drug she began experiencing stomach pains, she died days later.

Her niece Jade told the BBC: “Susan had always carried a wee bit of extra weight but there were never any health concerns. She wasn't on any other medication. She was healthy."

“Susan was such a bubbly person. She was really generous, she was really kind and she was the life of the party - a huge personality. They said she had the biggest laugh in the hospital."

Mounjaro is one of a range of weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonist. It works by making users feel full for longer.

This news comes just weeks after the government suggested it may give the drug to unemployed Brits.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that sickness caused by obesity was "holding back our economy", as he unveiled a £279 million investment from the world's biggest pharmaceutical company.

The jab costs between £150-200 for a four week course.
The jab costs between £150-200 for a four week course. Picture: Facebook

He said that the commitment by Lilly - the company that produces Mounjaro - would include the first real-world trial of the effect of weight-loss jabs on unemployment rates, productivity and reliance on healthcare.

As many as 3,000 obese patients, including a mixture of people with and without jobs, as well as some on sick leave, will take part in a five-year study to investigate if the jabs increase productivity and bring people back to work.

Mounjaro has been hailed as the "King Kong" of weight-loss jabs.

It helps to reduce appetite and curb cravings.

A previous study found people taking the drug, along with support to make changes to exercise and diet, lost an average of 21% of their bodyweight over a 36-week period.

NHS officials have suggested that the roll-out of the drug across England will need to be staggered due to anticipated high levels of demand.

Nearly a quarter-of-a-million people are expected to receive the Mounjaro jab over the next three years.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson greets fans in Italy.

Beloved England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson died '£8million in debt' after battle with cancer

Breaking
Breaking News

Gaza ceasefire talks 'nailing down final details' and deal 'very close', mediator says

Exclusive
The flat was mouldy and infested with cockroaches

Family’s New Year trip ruined by filthy Paris Airbnb littered with bloody sanitary towels, cockroaches and mould

Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shout slogans during a rally near the Constitutional Court in Seoul

Top aide of impeached South Korean president urges end to detention efforts

A Poundland store in Nottingham, England.

Poundland brings in new undercover staff and bodycams to tackle shoplifting

Police said they responded to an incident in Sidcup

Hunt for 'attacker randomly cutting off women's hair' on streets of south east London

Police and private security officers near an opening to a gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, where hundreds of illegal miners are trapped

Rescuers bid to bring out survivors among hundreds trapped in South African mine

Ugandan opposition leader and four-time presidential candidate Kizza Besigye in the dock at Makindye Martial Court in Kampala in November 2024

Ugandan opposition figure faces trial on treachery charge carrying death penalty

A Chinese coast guard ship in the seas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone

China ‘pushing Philippines to the wall’ with aggression in South China Sea

The trendy pizza restaurant is charging £100 for the divisive product

Trendy Norwich restaurant charging £100 for a pineapple pizza because they hate making them

Gangs are smuggling knives into prisons with drones

Gangs flying zombie knives into prisons by drone, handing 'most dangerous men in the UK very unpleasant weapons'

The devastation left by the Palisades Fire

Los Angeles wildfire deaths rise to 24 as more fierce winds are forecast

Hindu holy men perform rituals at the confluence of the Rivers Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati during the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India

Hindu holy men and millions of pilgrims take dips in India’s largest festival

Employers must protect workers from being harassed at work by “third parties" under the proposed law

Pubs ‘could ban patrons from talking about transgender rights’ under new workers' rights reforms

A body was found by the side of the M1 motorway

M1 closed in both directions after body found next to motorway as police launch probe into 'unexplained' death

Rachel Reeves faces growing scrutiny as market jitters spark calls for fiscal clarity

Rachel Reeves faces growing pressure as market turmoil raises questions over Labour's fiscal credibility