Ozempic and Thyroid Cancer Risk Assessment

Absolute Contraindications

• The American College of Endocrinology recommends that Ozempic (Semaglutide) is absolutely contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) 1

Clinical Considerations

• Primary hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune thyroid diseases (e.g., Hashimoto's thyroiditis, treated Graves' disease) are not contraindications for Ozempic, according to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists 1
• The contraindication only applies to MTC and MEN 2, as stated by the American Thyroid Association 1

Long-term Safety Data

• The SUSTAIN-6 and PIONEER-6 cardiovascular outcome studies showed no increased rates of thyroid cancer, although the follow-up time may have been too short to definitively assess this outcome, as reported by the European Society of Cardiology 2

Risk-Benefit Assessment

• Semaglutid significantly reduces cardiovascular events (HR 0,74; 95% CI 0,58-0,95) and cardiovascular mortality, according to the American Heart Association 3, 4
• The benefit outweighs the theoretical thyroid cancer risks in patients with type 2 diabetes and established cardiovascular disease, unless there is an absolute contraindication (MTC/MEN 2), as stated by the European Society of Cardiology 4, 5