Review finds gallbladder disease strongest safety signal for GLP-1 agonists

The wire

1. 01A narrative review in the Journal of Internal Medicine appraised seven serious adverse events tied to GLP-1 receptor agonists; gallbladder and biliary disease had the most consistent evidence of causality.
2. 02Retinopathy worsening appeared tied to rapid glycaemic improvement in patients with pre-existing disease, a distinction prescribers can use when weighing baseline risk against expected benefit.
3. 03Authors note rare events, incomplete ascertainment in trials and residual confounding in cohort studies; absolute risk increases stay small in broad populations but may matter in high-risk patients.

From the source

GLP-1 receptor agonists and serious adverse events: Evidence, uncertainty and clinical implications

Journal of internal medicine · 2026 Oct 9 · Ueda P et al.