13/08/2026
⚠️ A timely reminder about weight loss injections
Today’s report in the Daily Telegraph highlights TGA data showing 62 deaths and more than 2,800 adverse reactions reported as potentially associated with commonly used weight loss/GLP-1 medications in Australia.
Importantly, these reports do not prove that the medications caused every reported event.
However, they should serve as a reminder of something that is too often lost amongst the enormous publicity surrounding weight loss injections:
These are powerful prescription medications. They are not risk-free, and they are not a simple or harmless shortcut to weight loss.
GLP-1 medications can be very useful for appropriately selected patients. But obesity is a chronic disease and treatment should involve proper medical assessment, discussion of risks and benefits, and consideration of all appropriate treatment options rather than assuming that an injection is automatically the best answer.
There is no single weight loss treatment that is right for everyone.
Please do not start, stop or change prescription weight loss medication without discussing it with your treating doctor.
Exclusive: The deaths of more than 60 Australians are suspected of being linked to popular weight loss drugs, in a major wake-up call to users.
