Case report links semaglutide escalation to biliary pancreatitis in 16-year-old

The wire

1. 01A 16-year-old female with obesity, previously on liraglutide for about nine months, developed acute biliary pancreatitis roughly five weeks after escalation to semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly, with elevated lipase, bilirubin, AST and ALT.
2. 02Ultrasound before escalation had already shown multiple small gallstones; she was managed conservatively, semaglutide was stopped, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy showed chronic calculous cholecystitis.
3. 03The authors say causality cannot be established from a single case but advise vigilance for gallbladder disease and pancreatitis in adolescents on GLP-1 receptor agonists, especially with known gallstones or rapid weight loss.

From the source

Case Report: Acute biliary pancreatitis after semaglutide dose escalation in an adolescent with obesity and cholelithiasis

Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026 · Alanizi AH, Alruwythi GM, Alotaibi NH et al.