The European Union’s drug regulator has confirmed that Novo Nordisk’s diabetes medication Ozempic is linked to a rare but serious eye condition known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). This marks the first time a regulatory body has officially acknowledged this side effect. The condition affects up to 1 in 10,000 people taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and other Novo drugs like Rybelsus and Wegovy. Although this risk has been noted for some time, analysts believe it will not significantly impact prescribing patterns. Novo Nordisk stated it would collaborate with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to update drug labels, emphasizing that clinical trials do not indicate a reasonable likelihood that their drugs cause NAION. The company maintains that the overall benefit-risk profile of semaglutide remains positive. — new from Reuters