New warnings for weight loss medications
2 DECEMBER 2025
AMA Queensland President Dr Nick Yim spoke to ABC Brisbane about the TGA’s new warnings for GLP-1 medications.
Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr nick Yim, ABC Brisbane, Breakfast with Craig & Loretta, Tuesday 2 December 2025
subject: GLP-1 medications
CRAIG ZONCA: Do you happen to know anyone taking Ozempic? You might be yourself. News this morning is the World Health Organisation has now endorsed Ozempic and similar medications as long-term treatments for obesity.
LORETTA RYAN: Yes, with new released guidelines, it’s calling on governments and health systems around the world to make the treatment more affordable and available. However, just yesterday, Australia’s medicines regulator issued a safety warning over the potential risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours when taking Ozempic-style drugs. Now, I’d love to hear from you if you’re on these drugs and why and how are you going? 1300 222 612.
CRAIG ZONCA: Let’s bring in Dr Nick Yim, a GP, President of the Australian Medical Association Queensland. Nick, good morning to you.
DR NICK YIM: Good morning to you both.
CRAIG ZONCA: Can you just run us through what concerns dose the TGA have here?
DR NICK YIM: The TGA, or the Therapeutics Good Administration, continually surveys and monitors for adverse events that we may see with relatively new medication. We know this class medication such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy – in the broad scheme of things, it’s onyl been relatively new to the market. And as you can imagine, with clinical trials, it’s only short term. So what we’re seeing at the moment, a slight trend, potentially of increased suicidal thoughts. But this is something where I would encourage people with that concern or worry, to have a conversation with their GP, not to stop their medication instantly.
CRAIG ZONCA: Okay, so discuss with your GP if you’re having any depressive thoughts. And of course, I need to give the Lifeline number out here as well for counselling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 13 11 14. Dr Nick Yim, as a GP, are you getting a lot of requests for Ozempic or Ozempic-style drugs to be writen out for prescriptions for your patients?
DR NICK YIM: I am. On a flip side, this is quite a benefit to hear the World Health Organisation acknowledge obesity is a chronic disease. We’ve known for a long time it’s not as simple as, I guess, food in and energy out, weight loss. So it is indeed a complex issue to quite manny modalities of treatments. And injectables such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, it’s just one element of that. It does have its great benefits because we have seen great weight loss for many people. But unfortunately, like all medications, there are side effects involved.
LORETTA RYAN: Wasn’t there concern when this just came out that it
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