--- title: "Novo Nordisk’s New Weight Loss Drug Shows Ominous Psychiatric Side Effects" description: "Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has another weight loss medication in the works with some unsettling side effects." date: "2024-09-21" modified: "2024-09-21" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/novo-nordisk-weight-loss-drug-psychiatric" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "RX and Medicine" tags: - "mental health" - "novo nordisk" - "side effects" - "Weight Loss" --- # Novo Nordisk’s New Weight Loss Drug Shows Ominous Psychiatric Side Effects ![Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has another weight loss medication in the works with some unsettling side effects.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has another weight loss medication in the works — but according to its trial results, it has some pretty grim side effects. As [*Fierce Biotech* reports](), Novo's new experimental obesity injectable, a cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) drug called monlunabant, was shown in a modestly-sized phase 2 trial to increase the risk of psychiatric disorders. "Reporting of mild to moderate neuropsychiatric side effects, primarily anxiety, irritability, and sleep disturbances, was more frequent and dose-dependent with monlunabant compared to placebo," the Danish pharmaceutical giant [conceded in a press release](). Unlike glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors, the class of drugs to which Ozempic and Wegovy belong, CB1 receptors work on the brain and not the gut. The "cannabis" derivative in its name relates to the so-called "cannabinoid system" in our brains which [essentially acts]() as dopamine traffic lights to tell neurotransmitters what to do with hunger and other feelings related to the pleasure hormone. Though the drugs' areas of operations are different, some of their side effects are similar. Of the 243 people who took daily injections during the phase 2 monlunabant trial, which Novo undertook after buying the Canadian biopharma firm Inversago to acquire the drug, the most common effects of the drugs were gastrointestinal. While Novo says that none of these side effects were "serious," *Fierce Pharma* notes that the reported instances of psychiatric events is reminiscent of an earlier CB1 drug called Acomplia that was [pulled from European markets]() after only two years because it too was associated with mental health issues. Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo's cornerstone drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, has [also been linked]() to some scary mental health issues in the form of suicidal ideation, though [other research]() has found the exact opposite: that people taking it are less likely to have suicidal thoughts. The Food and Drug Administration [is now investigating]() People interested in taking weight loss drugs, be they made by [Novo Nordisk](), [Eli Lilly](), or [Kourtney Kardashian](), should take these kinds of risks into account when deciding whether to take them. While the hype surrounding this new class of obesity and diabetes treatments is [very real](), so are their [side effects](), which can include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea even on the milder end of the adverse event spectrum. **More on drug candidacy:** [*New Weight Loss Drug Has Small Problem: Uncontrollable Vomiting*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()