An inquest into the death of a 66-year-old woman who was prescribed the weight-loss drug Ozempic heard she suffered a very rare side effect of the drug.
Cork City Coroner’s Court heard Breeda O’Donoghue, from Carrigtwohill in Cork, died at Cork University Hospital (CUH) on the 9th of December 2023.
The inquest heard Breeda O’Donoghue, who had type-2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and mild hypertension, was prescribed Ozempic in September after struggling to lose weight.
Her GP said she was not having any problems until she reported nausea on the 23rd of November and was told to stop taking it.
On the 6th of December she was admitted to CUH where she died three days later.
A report from Prof Joseph Eustace read into the record, noted Breeda O’Donoughue had been ‘apparently vomiting on a frequent basis over the last 2 to 3 months since starting treatment with semaglutide” which is sold as Opzempic.
Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster described it as a very complex case and said ‘profuse vomiting’ can cause ‘electrolyte abnormalities’ with can lead to total organ failure.
Coroner Philip Comyn’s verdict was death as a result of a known side effect of a prescribed medication against a background of a complex medical history.
Reporting by Jamie O'Hara
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