Ozempic and Your Kidneys: AKI Risk vs FLOW Trial Protection
The Ozempic label names acute kidney injury as a reported side effect but gives no trial rate for it.
- In the label
- Listed, no rate given
- Label term
- acute kidney injury
Ozempic in brief
About 1 week is the half-life: at 7 d half of it is gone, and at five half-lives (35 d) about 3% is left.
In SUSTAIN 1, which ran 30 weeks in people with type 2 diabetes, 4.7 kg was lost against 1.2 kg on placebo.
Monthly prices in US dollars: the list price and self-pay offers, all read from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
What the Ozempic label lists instead
The Ozempic label gives no rate for kidney problems. It names these five side effects most often, along with how often they happen.
| Side effect | Placebo | Ozempic 0.5 mg | Ozempic 1 mg | More than placebo, 1 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 6.1% | 15.8% | 20.3% | +14.2 points |
| Vomiting | 2.3% | 5% | 9.2% | +6.9 points |
| Diarrhea | 1.9% | 8.5% | 8.8% | +6.9 points |
| Abdominal pain | 4.6% | 7.3% | 5.7% | +1.1 points |
| Constipation | 1.5% | 5% | 3.1% | +1.6 points |
Source: Ozempic label (DailyMed).
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).
What the Ozempic label says
The label uses these exact words for kidney problems:
“There have been postmarketing reports of acute kidney injury, in some cases requiring hemodialysis, in patients treated with semaglutide.”
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).