A nurse’s death has been linked to the NHS-approved weight loss drug Mounjaro

She said: “Susan has always had a bit of extra weight but there have never been any health concerns. She was not taking any other medications. She was healthy.

“Susan was such a bubbly person. She was really generous, she was really kind and she was the life of the party – a big personality. They said she laughed the most in the hospital.

Ms Campbell was told by doctors that her aunt’s kidneys were not functioning properly. Days later, she fell into a coma and her organs began to fail.

“It happened so quickly,” she said. “I’m still thinking, ‘Did that actually happen?'”

Tirzepatide belongs to a group of weight loss medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which keep patients fuller for longer.

In 2023, it was approved for use as a weight loss aid in the United Kingdom by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

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

The MHRA operates the Yellow Card system, where any member of the public or healthcare professional can submit reports of suspected side effects to medicines.

Public data is only available through May of this year, but between January and May 2024 there were 208 reports of tirzepatide related to the yellow card, including 31 serious reactions and one suspected death of a man in his 60s.

Ms McGowan’s death is too recent to be included in these dates.