The death of a North Lanarkshire nurse has been linked to the use of a weight loss drug recently approved for use on the NHS.

Susan McGowan, 58, took two low-dose injections of tirazeptide, known by the brand name Monjaro, over the course of about two weeks before her death on September 4.

His death certificate, seen by the BBC, lists multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis as the immediate cause of death – but “prescribed tirazeptide use” is also recorded as a contributing factor.

This is believed to be the first death officially linked to the drug in the UK

Ms McGowan worked as a nurse at University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie for more than 30 years.

The popular bed manager had often discussed his weight loss efforts with close friends, but the emergence of new weight loss jabs gave him better chances of success.

After researching Monjaro and seeking medical advice, she purchased a prescription through a registered online pharmacy.

The medicine usually costs between £150 and £200 for a four-week supply and can be bought from any registered pharmacy in the UK.

A few days after the second injection she began experiencing severe stomach pain and illness, so she went to A&E in Monklands – where her colleagues fought to save her life.

Ms McGowan’s niece, Jade Campbell, was with her at the time of her death.

She said: “Suzanne was always a little overweight but there were no health concerns. She was not taking any other medicines. She was healthy.”

“Suzanne was a very bubbly person. She was really generous, she was really kind and she was the life of the party – a huge personality. “He said he laughed the most in the hospital.”

Doctors told Ms Campbell that her aunt’s kidneys were not functioning properly. A few days later she fell into a coma and her organs stopped functioning.

“It was too early,” she said. “I still find myself thinking, ‘Did that really happen?'”

Tirazeptide is one of a group of weight loss medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which make the patient feel full for a longer period of time.

It was approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for use as a weight loss aid in the UK in 2023.

This included use on the NHS, although due to factors such as cost and availability the drug is currently only prescribed by the NHS to a small number of patients.

The MHRA runs the Yellow Card scheme, where any member of the public or health profession can lodge a report of suspected side effects of medicines.

Public data is only available up to May this year, but between January and May 2024 there were 208 reports of tirazepide on the yellow card scheme, including 31 serious reactions and one suspicious death of a man in his sixties.

Ms McGowan’s death is too recent to appear in this data.

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA chief safety officer, said that new medicines, such as tirazepide, are monitored more intensively to ensure that any new safety issues can be identified promptly.

He said, “Our deepest sympathies are with the family of the person concerned. Patient safety is our top priority and no medicine will be approved unless it meets our expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

“We have robust, safety monitoring and surveillance systems in place for all health care products.

“Based on the current evidence the benefits of GLP-1 RA outweigh the potential risks when used for licensed indications.”

Monjaro maker Lilly said patient safety is the company’s top priority.

A spokesperson said: “We are committed to continuously monitoring, evaluating and reporting safety information for all Lilly medicines.

“Monjaro was approved based on a comprehensive assessment of the benefits and risks of the medicine, and we provide information about the benefits and risks of all our medicines to regulators around the world to ensure the latest information is available to prescribers. Be available for.”

Semaglutide, known by the brand names Vegovy and Ozempic, is also a GLP-1 receptor agonist.

There have been 23 suspected deaths linked to semaglutide through the yellow card scheme in the UK since 2019.

These drugs have passed the clinical trials necessary for approval for use in the UK and have been cautiously welcomed by those working to tackle obesity.

Navid Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow and chair of the UK government’s obesity mission, said it is difficult to establish “cause and effect” in single cases where patients die after taking the drug.

He said: “The trials are very robust in trying to establish safety, that drugs generally have substantial benefits that outweigh the risks.

“While there is ample evidence that these medications achieve significant weight loss, the side effect profile is generally benign for most individuals.

“The reality is that we have a great need to help many people living with extremely high levels of BMI to lose weight with these drugs that will offer many benefits and for many years we have not had such tools. There are many people, roughly one in four or one in five adults living in the UK, who could benefit from these medicines.

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Tirazepide recently became the subject of national debate when the UK government announced plans pass it on to unemployed people To help them return to work.

The government is partnering with the Monjaro maker to run a five-year trial in Greater Manchester.

About 250,000 people are expected to be given the vaccine over the next three years as part of the trial and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has hailed the vaccine as “game-changing”.

But Ms Campbell believes this is not the right time and hopes the UK government will reconsider the decision.

She said: “I think you would trust anything that is supported by the government. I would ask you to speak to your GP first about things like this, there may be another option for you to consider before taking weight loss injections.”

BBC News asked the Department of Health and Social Care whether it would review its decision in the wake of Ms McGowan’s death.

The UK government declined to comment.