A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of Ocular Adverse Events Associated with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
3. Results
4. Discussion
Limitations
5. Conclusions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Oral Medications | Injectable Medications | Insulin | Lifestyle Modifications |
| Biguanides (e.g., Metformin) | GLP-1 Agonists | Basal insulin | Consuming healthy meals and beverages |
| Sulfonylureas (e.g., glyburide) | Amylin Analog (e.g., pramlintide acetate) | Combination basal insulin/GLP-1 agonist | Reduced sedentary lifestyle |
| Meglitinides (e.g., repaglinide) | Insulin | Bolus insulin | Increased physical activities |
| Thiazolidinediones (e.g., pioglitazone) | Rapid-acting insulin | Stopping smoking | |
| Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors (e.g., canagliflozin) | Short-acting insulin | Reducing alcohol intake | |
| Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (e.g., sitagliptin) | Inhaled insulin | ||
| α-Glucosidase inhibitors (e.g., acarbose) | Premixed insulin | ||
| Bile acid sequestrant (e.g., colesevelam) | |||
| Dopamine receptor agonist (e.g., bromocriptine) |
| Ocular Adverse Events | Non-Ocular Adverse Events | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug of Interest | a | b |
| All FAERS Medications | c | d |
| Drug Name | Total Adverse Events | Ocular Adverse Events | % of Total Adverse Events | US Adverse Ocular Events | % Total Ocular Adverse Events | ROR (95% CI) | Maximum Ocular Reports in a Year | Year with Maximum Ocular Reports | Median Year (Q1–Q3) | Reported Female | % Female Drug Specific | Age Median (Q1–Q3) | Average % Change per Year (95% CI), p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exenatide | 78,994 | 3441 | 4.36% | 1773 | 51.53% | 0.75 (0.72–0.78) | 446 | 2006 | 2013 (2007–2019) | 2222 | 64.57% | 63 (56–69.5) | −5.15 (−6.14, −4.17), p < 0.001 |
| Dulaglutide | 69,987 | 3393 | 4.85% | 3193 | 94.11% | 0.89 (0.86–0.92) | 781 | 2021 | 2021 (2020–2022) | 2079 | 61.27% | 63.5 (57–72) | 2.62 (1.54, 3.71), p < 0.001 |
| Tirzepatide | 56,943 | 1248 | 2.19% | 1134 | 90.87% | 0.42 (0.39–0.45) | 847 | 2024 | 2024 (2023–2024) | 820 | 65.71% | 58 (49–68) | 0.79 (0.21, 1.37), p = 0.01 |
| Semaglutide | 40,087 | 3212 | 8.01% | 2360 | 73.47% | 1.46 (1.40–1.52) | 1341 | 2024 | 2023 (2021–2024) | 1963 | 61.11% | 63 (55–71) | 2.23 (1.47, 3.00), p < 0.001 |
| Liraglutide | 37,541 | 1232 | 3.28% | 771 | 62.58% | 0.62 (0.58–0.66) | 150 | 2018 | 2018 (2015–2021) | 752 | 61.04% | 62 (53–68) | −0.09 (−1.61, 1.43), p = 0.91 |
| GLP-1 | 283,552 | 10,237 | 3.61% | 7630 | 74.53% | 0.8 (0.78–0.82) | 2339 | 2024 | 2021 (2018–2023) | 6408 | 62.60% | 63 (55–70) |
| 1. United States | 2. United Kingdom | 3. Canada | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug Name | Ocular Adverse Events Reports | % of Total Country Ocular Adverse Events Reports | Drug Name | Ocular Adverse Events Reports | % of Total Country Ocular Adverse Events Reports | Drug Name | Ocular Adverse Events Reports | % of Total Country Ocular Adverse Events Reports |
| Dulaglutide | 3193 | 34.59% | Semaglutide | 91 | 40.27% | Semaglutide | 129 | 60.28% |
| Semaglutide | 2360 | 25.57% | Tirzepatide | 57 | 25.22% | Liraglutide | 78 | 36.45% |
| Exenatide | 1773 | 19.21% | Exenatide | 45 | 19.91% | Dulaglutide | 5 | 2.34% |
| Tirzepatide | 1134 | 12.28% | Liraglutide | 19 | 8.41% | Exenatide | 2 | 0.93% |
| Liraglutide | 771 | 8.35% | Dulaglutide | 14 | 6.19% | Tirzepatide | 0 | 0.00% |
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Virk, A.; Allison, K. A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of Ocular Adverse Events Associated with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists. J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15, 2464. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15062464
Virk A, Allison K. A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of Ocular Adverse Events Associated with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2026; 15(6):2464. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15062464
Chicago/Turabian StyleVirk, Abdullah, and Karen Allison. 2026. "A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of Ocular Adverse Events Associated with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists" Journal of Clinical Medicine 15, no. 6: 2464. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15062464
APA StyleVirk, A., & Allison, K. (2026). A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of Ocular Adverse Events Associated with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(6), 2464. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15062464

