Does Semaglutide Cause Cancer? Thyroid Warning vs the Human Data
The semaglutide labels name thyroid c-cell tumors as a reported side effect but give no trial rate for it.
- In the label
- Listed, no rate given
- Label term
- thyroid c-cell tumors
A quick look at Wegovy
Its half-life is about 1 week. After 7 d, half is gone; after five half-lives (35 d), about 3% remains.
In STEP 1 over 68 weeks, weight loss was 14.9% of body weight, compared with 2.4% on placebo.
Monthly prices in US dollars include the list price and self-pay offers, each taken from the maker's price page.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed), healthsystemtracker.org, prnewswire.com 1 2.
Ozempic label: what it lists in its place
The Ozempic label provides no cancer risk rate. It lists five side effects most often, and it gives rates for each.
| 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 |
Taken from the Ozempic label (DailyMed).
Taken from the FDA's label on DailyMed.
How the Ozempic label says it
Here the label mentions cancer risk word for word:
“• In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures.”
Taken from the FDA's label on DailyMed.