Popular weight-loss drugs face numerous lawsuits over rare ‘eye stroke’ linked to vision loss

Hundreds of consumers are suing the manufacturers of GLP-1 receptor agonists, alleging the medications may increase the risk of a rare form of vision loss.

The patients behind the lawsuits allege that the medications caused NAION (nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy), according to The Wall Street Journal.

NAION is a rare eye condition in which blood flow to the optic nerve is suddenly reduced, leading to sudden vision loss.

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It is the most common cause of acute optic nerve injury in adults over age 50, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the National Eye Institute, which describes it as an "eye stroke."

"The problem with NAION is there's no treatment," Dr. Douglas Lazzaro, an ophthalmologist at NYU Langone Health, told Fox News Digital. "So it can cause some very profound vision loss."

The companies in question, Novo Nordisk (maker of Ozempic and Wegovy) and Eli Lilly (maker of Mounjaro and Zepbound), have disputed the allegations, according to the WSJ report.

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Novo Nordisk called the lawsuits meritless and pointed to company-funded research finding no increased risk of NAION with its drugs. Eli Lilly said it continues to monitor safety data and maintained that current studies do not prove GLP-1 medications cause the condition.

Fox News Digital reached out to the companies requesting comment.

Most of the published research to date has examined semaglutide, rather than tirzepatide.

In a data analysis of 37 million adults published in JAMA Ophthalmology in 2025, researchers found that people using semaglutide experienced a modest increase in NAION risk compared to people taking SGLT2 inhibitors, another class of diabetes medication.

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A 2024 Harvard Medical School study, published in the same journal, found that patients with type 2 diabetes who were prescribed semaglutide had approximately a fourfold higher relative risk of developing NAION. The absolute risk remained very low.

The authors of both studies noted that the research was observational and could not prove that the medication caused NAION. They emphasized that more evidence is needed.

The FDA has said it is reviewing available evidence regarding a possible association between semaglutide and NAION. The agency has not concluded that semaglutide causes NAION and has not issued a safety warning for semaglutide medications.

The European Medicines Agency concluded there is sufficient evidence of a possible association to recommend adding NAION as a "very rare" adverse reaction to semaglutide product information in Europe.

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Lazzaro agreed that "whether or not that's statistically significant is hard to assess, because there were so many variables in this and it's hard to exactly match patients."

"But when they removed all of what they felt were confounding variables… how obese were the patients, male versus female, age, hypertension, level of obesity… they did find that there was a higher risk of NAION."

NAION typically causes sudden, painless vision loss in one eye, per the AAO. Other symptoms may include blurred or dim vision, loss of peripheral vision or decreased color vision.

Symptoms tend to develop first thing in the morning after waking up.

The biggest risk factors for the condition include age, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea and smoking. As many people taking GLP-1 drugs have diabetes or obesity, some of these underlying risk factors could be factors in vision issues, experts note.

Diabetes itself is a well-established risk factor for NAION, making it difficult for observational studies to separate the effects of the disease from those of the medication, experts have noted.

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Vision loss from NAION is often permanent. While some patients may regain partial vision over time, there is no proven treatment that can reverse the optic nerve damage.

The condition is rare, with roughly two to 10 cases per 100,000 people each year, depending on the population studied.

Experts emphasize that patients should not stop taking a prescribed GLP-1 medication without first speaking with their healthcare provider. For many people with diabetes or obesity, the medications' proven benefits may outweigh any potential vision risk.

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When discussing NAION, one important factor is what doctors call a "disc at risk," referring to certain characteristics of the optic disc, or optic nerve.

"So if I had a patient who had what I would see on exam is a disk at risk, a very compact optic nerve where everything's crowded, I would tell that patient probably to not go on a semaglutide," Lazzaro advised.

"My overall take on the matter is there's probably a slightly increased risk of NAION when using the semaglutides, but I think the health benefits outweigh the risks," he went on. 

"And unless I have a patient with a disk at risk, I would probably tell them to go on them if they're going to be a lot healthier from an overall standpoint."

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World’s most contagious virus hits major US airport as officials warn of possible exposure

The City of Philadelphia is reporting two possible measles exposures within a week — the latest at Philadelphia International Airport.

The exposure took place at airport terminals B and F, as well as areas used to connect to other terminals in C, D and E, on Sunday, Sept. 13, from 7:45 p.m. to Monday, Sept. 14 at 12:05 a.m., according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

The individual with measles was traveling through Philadelphia and did not leave the airport. Health officials encouraged those who were potentially exposed to check their vaccination status and watch for symptoms.

MEASLES-INFECTED TRAVELER MAY HAVE EXPOSED PASSENGERS AT LAX AND NEARBY HOTEL, HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN

This was the second reported measles exposure in the Philadelphia area, after the first case reported on Sept. 17 at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

The incident occurred on Sept. 11 at the following locations.

The Pennsylvania and Philadelphia health departments, as well as CHOP, reported that they are "working closely to ensure potentially exposed infants receive a preventative antibody product to prevent or lessen severe disease and to take steps to prevent the further spread of measles."

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In the second news release, Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson wrote that this week’s measles exposures are "a reminder of how important it is for all of us to be up to date on our vaccinations."

"Every Philadelphian who is fully vaccinated has little to fear from the situation at CHOP and the airport," she said. "Even more importantly, every one of those people is doing their part to help protect our most vulnerable from measles. With outbreaks continuing in Pennsylvania and other places, this is even more important."

The health department advised that anyone who has been exposed who is not immune, is unsure of their vaccination status, is an infant, is pregnant and not immune, or is immunocompromised should contact their doctor.

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"Some people may still be eligible for treatment after exposure that can prevent measles or reduce the severity of illness," the department wrote. "Anyone who develops symptoms should call ahead before visiting a healthcare facility and tell the provider about the possible measles exposure."

In August, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania confirmed two measles-related deaths, marking the first losses related to the virus within the state in 35 years.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed that both Lancaster County individuals were unvaccinated.

The MMR vaccine administered over two doses can boost a person’s immune system and provide 97% lifetime protection, according to health officials.

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Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be fatal in one to three patients per 1,000 cases, data shows.

The virus can cause long-term health problems, including pneumonia and brain swelling. Nearly 20% of individuals who contract measles are hospitalized.

Measles spreads when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes, spreading the virus through respiratory droplets. It can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after the person leaves the area, experts caution.

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Early symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes, which can start seven to 21 days after exposure. A rash follows a few days later, starting on the head and spreading to the rest of the body.

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Presley Gerber’s death sparks questions about overdose, withdrawal and rehab safety

Presley Gerber’s death at age 27 has renewed questions about overdose risk, withdrawal complications and the challenges of addiction recovery.

The son of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber died Sunday at a California rehabilitation facility, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office records.

Presley's death was confirmed by his mother’s representative to Fox News Digital, who shared a statement from the family: "The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time."

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While an official cause of death has not yet been confirmed, audio recordings obtained by People suggest that police received a 911 call Sunday morning reporting a cardiac arrest at a facility in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street. A separate dispatch identified the response as a potential overdose.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed that an autopsy had been completed, but the cause of death remained undetermined pending further testing.

Gerber had spoken publicly over the years about his struggles with substance use and mental health.

Nicholas Kardaris, Ph.D., CEO and chief clinical officer of the New York Center for Living in Manhattan and a clinical professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare, spoke with Fox News Digital about what families should know about relapse, overdose risk and seeking help for a loved one.

As Gerber’s official cause of death has not yet been released, Kardaris — who has not treated Presley Gerber and is not connected to the case — cautioned against drawing conclusions from the fact that he died at a rehabilitation facility.

Possible explanations could include an acute medical or cardiac event, an undiagnosed condition or a medication-related complication, he said.

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People in residential treatment facilities may have complex medical histories, and some conditions may not be immediately apparent when someone enters a program.

"Younger people can sometimes die suddenly, and we don’t know whether they had an underlying medical issue," Kardaris said.

"It’s not impossible to have a medication-related event, particularly if someone has an underlying heart disorder," he continued. "Certain medications can trigger a cardiac episode."

Entering treatment does not necessarily mean that a person’s issues have been resolved or that no danger exists, Kardaris emphasized.

"People are in rehab because they’re struggling with addiction. It doesn’t mean they’re cured of their addiction," he said.

While treatment facilities work to create a controlled environment, they cannot eliminate every risk associated with addiction, withdrawal, relapse or medical complications, according to Kardaris.

"Facilities take great pains to make sure substances don’t come in, but it’s not a perfect system."

He stressed that this is a general observation about treatment settings and not an indication of what occurred in Gerber’s case.

Another potential risk during rehab is withdrawal itself, which can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening depending on the substance involved and the person’s level of physical dependence, according to Kardaris.

"People can die from withdrawal, but the substances that are most dangerous to withdraw [from] without proper medical supervision are benzodiazepines, such as Valium or Xanax, and alcohol," he told Fox News Digital.

While opioid withdrawal can be extremely uncomfortable, it is generally not fatal by itself, the expert said.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can trigger seizures, delirium and other life-threatening complications. The FDA warns that abruptly stopping or reducing drugs such as Xanax or Valium too quickly can cause serious withdrawal reactions, including seizures.

"Someone might disclose heroin use but not mention that they’re also withdrawing from a benzodiazepine, such as Valium," Kardaris noted. "If they don’t receive medication to treat that withdrawal, they can have a seizure that can lead to fatal complications."

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One of the most dangerous periods for someone with opioid use disorder may come after detox because a person’s tolerance may have decreased — increasing the risk of overdose if they return to a previously used amount, he added.

"If someone relapses after rehab, they may use the same amount they were using before treatment — but their tolerance has gone down, and that amount can now be fatal."

Gerber had previously posted on social media about undergoing an ibogaine treatment in Mexico. Kardaris cautioned that ibogaine is not FDA-approved for any medical use in the U.S. 

Although it has been studied experimentally as a possible treatment for opioid use disorder, its safety and effectiveness remain uncertain. Kardaris grouped ibogaine with other psychedelic or psychoactive substances that have drawn public interest.

"Ketamine, ayahuasca and ibogaine are psychoactive or psychedelic treatments that have become increasingly popular," he said. "There is some research indicating potential benefits, but they remain largely unregulated."

Ketamine is FDA-approved as an anesthetic but is not approved to treat psychiatric disorders, although some clinicians use it off-label in mental health settings.

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Ibogaine and ayahuasca are not FDA-approved treatments in the U.S., and the evidence and regulatory oversight vary considerably among these substances.

Overall, Kardaris described the field as unsettled. "It’s a bit of the Wild West right now."

He emphasized, however, that Gerber’s prior ibogaine treatment does not establish which substances he may have used and should not be interpreted as evidence of what caused his death.

Families should investigate a treatment center and make sure it is licensed before enrolling a loved one, Kardaris advised.

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That includes confirming that qualified medical professionals are involved in patient care and that the facility has appropriate protocols for withdrawal, medication management and emergencies.

"Families should make sure licensed professionals are working there and that the program has a strong reputation," he said.

"There are bad actors in every profession — so families should look for a well-regarded treatment program with qualified people who know what they’re doing."

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Fitness expert reveals 6 things people over 35 should do after workouts to stay strong

The most important part of a workout may happen after it ends.

As adults age, muscles can become less responsive to protein and other muscle-building signals, making post-exercise recovery critical for repairing tissue and preserving strength.

Jacob Zemer, a New York-based fitness coach, focuses heavily on recovery with his clients, who primarily range from 35 to 55 years old.

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"Most of my clients are really focused on longevity," he told Fox News Digital. "They're not people who are looking to be bodybuilders or power lifters – they want to age well."

Zemer shared the following six ways adults over 35 can recover more effectively after exercise.

"Getting seven to nine hours of quality sleep is vital," Zemer told Fox News Digital.

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He suggested the following steps to support deeper, more restorative sleep.

Getting regular checkups and completing recommended lab work can also help identify issues that may interfere with recovery, according to Zemer.

"Make sure you’re keeping up with what's going on with your hormones," he advised. "Make sure everything in your body is functioning properly, because as we age, our bodies change."

3 COMMON FACTORS MAY BE SECRETLY SPEEDING UP THE AGING PROCESS, EXPERT SAYS

Experts emphasize, however, that preventive testing should be personalized based on factors such as age, gender, symptoms and medical history.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for conditions including high blood pressure, prediabetes/type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis.

Heat exposure may be another way to support muscle strength and recovery after exercise, Zemer suggested.

Warmth causes blood vessels to widen, increasing circulation to tired muscles and potentially helping to deliver nutrients involved in repair.

A 2025 review of 22 studies found that nearly half of participants reported improved muscle-function recovery with heat therapy.

"If you don't have access to a sauna, taking a hot shower after your workout releases heat proteins that may help with recovery – and actually it helps improve what we call ‘gains’ from the gym," the trainer told Fox News Digital.

"After you get done working out, your muscles are shortened," Zemer said. "And so you want to re-lengthen them by stretching."

As strength training can put significant wear and tear on the body, it’s important to maintain full mobility by moving through a complete range of motion and stretching afterward, according to the expert.

Getting adequate protein after a workout to aid in muscle repair and rebuilding, Zemer emphasized.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends targeting about 20 to 40 grams of high-quality protein after training. For active adults, the general guideline is roughly 1.4 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

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Protein needs should be individualized, however, particularly for people with certain medical conditions.

Hydration is also important prior to working out, Zemer added.

"If you don't drink enough water, you're really setting yourself up for failure when you're in the session, which is going to cause you to have lackluster results," he said.

"You just did something that, even if it’s healthy and has a positive impact on your body, still stresses your body," Zemer said.

"Your cortisol’s high. So getting a good meal and a little bit of rest before you move on with your day" can help the body recover.

The goal is to give the nervous system and muscles the resources they need to recover.

A 2026 review described exercise as a cycle of "stress response, adaptation and recovery," noting that the benefits of workouts depend on sufficient recovery time, sleep and energy availability.

While it’s normal and generally a good thing to feel sore after exercise, Zemer said there’s a fine line between "good" and "bad" soreness.

"The soreness should be only for a short period of time, like maybe a day or so after you're done training," he told Fox News Digital.

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"If it takes you a full week to recover, you simply trained too hard."

Zemer noted that the body adapts to training gradually, so people should ease into a new fitness routine rather than pushing too hard too soon.

"If you have extended amounts of soreness that exceed two or three days, you did too much," he said. "If your knees and joints ache, you did too much."

That doesn’t mean it’s necessary to stop working out, however.

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"It just means maybe drop back what you did by 30% and start from there," Zemer advised. "For example, if you did six sets of legs, try instead to do four sets of legs the next time you train. That's going to make it far more effective for your recovery."

The most important thing to recognize, according to the trainer, is that exercise-induced endorphins can temporarily mask pain. Discomfort that seems manageable during a workout may feel worse later, once those chemicals wear off.

"If something hurts in the gym when you have your endorphins going strong, it's going to hurt really bad later – and that's the last thing you want, because if you're hurt, you're not going to be able to train consistently."

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Massage clients report bizarre flu-like reaction after popular spa treatment

A popular wellness treatment is allegedly leaving some people with unexpected symptoms, including aches, fatigue and headaches.

Social media users have described feeling under the weather after getting a massage, with some saying they feel as though they are coming down with an illness.

The reaction is sometimes referred to online as "massage flu," though health experts say it is not an actual medical diagnosis.

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"This phenomenon is something I have definitely heard of and had patients tell me," W. Zach Smith, a Seattle-based physical therapist and co-founder of HIDEF Physical Therapy, told Fox News Digital.

"The idea of this has been around a long time but usually described as fatigue and soreness," Smith said. "The flu part of the name I have heard more recently."

Soreness can happen when a lot of pressure is applied to the muscles for a long period of time, especially if someone is not used to getting massages, Smith added.

"Any time you go in and apply a lot of pressure to a muscle for a long period of time, it can essentially bruise the tissue," he said.

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The body may also have a mild inflammatory response after a massage, which can contribute to soreness, Smith said.

Drew Voelsch, a chiropractor at Forza Chiropractic in Illinois, said he has also heard patients refer to the reaction as "massage flu" or an "adjustment hangover."

"The symptoms are real," Voelsch told Fox News Digital, pointing to soreness, fatigue and mild headaches that may last 24 to 48 hours. "The label is social media."

A massage around the neck, scalp or jaw can also trigger headaches because those areas can be involved in tension headaches, according to Smith.

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Both experts pushed back on the idea that these symptoms are caused by a massage "releasing toxins" from the body, a claim that has circulated in social media comments.

"This is a myth," Smith said. "There is no basis or science behind this."

Voelsch agreed, noting that the liver and kidneys handle the body's waste-removal processes.

To help reduce discomfort, Smith recommended asking for less pressure or a shorter massage and gradually working up to deeper or longer sessions.

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Voelsch also suggested drinking water, eating something light beforehand and moving gently afterward.

Mild soreness is typically not a cause for concern, but Smith said new or persistent pain may be a reason to contact a doctor.

"If you are having a new, unexplained pain that is persistent, that would be a good time to call your doctor," he said.

Voelsch recommended seeking medical advice if symptoms last longer than about 72 hours or include fever, sharp or radiating pain, numbness or tingling, spreading swelling or bruising, or faintness.

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Sorority rush gets Ozempic makeover as some college women resort to weight-loss injections

As GLP-1 medications continue to surge in popularity for weight loss and diabetes treatment, their use is rising among younger adults — with anecdotal reports suggesting the trend is making its way onto college campuses.

Market research has shown that GLP-1s – including semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) – are growing fastest among adults under 40, particularly young women.

A 2024 analysis published in JAMA found that 162,439 young adults ages 18 to 25 received at least one dispensed GLP-1 prescription in 2023. Women accounted for 76.4% of those patients, although the analysis included medications prescribed for both diabetes and weight management.

PATIENTS TAKING WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS OFTEN MAKE 5 CRITICAL MISTAKES, DOCTOR WARNS

Separately, the 2025 Monitoring the Future survey found that 2% of students in grades 8, 10 and 12 reported using a prescription GLP-1 medication, while another 2% said they had used one without a prescription.

A recent feature in The Cut, "The Secret 'Ozempidemic' on Sorority Row," argues that GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have quietly become part of campus culture at some elite universities, particularly within the competitive sorority recruitment process.

Three female students interviewed under pseudonyms said they were using compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide to improve their chances during rush and to meet an increasingly thin beauty ideal.

The students described a pressure to look extremely thin, noting that social media and weight-loss competitions among friends have fueled increased GLP-1 use.

POPULAR GLP-1 WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS LINKED TO POTENTIALLY DEADLY BRAIN DISORDER

"For many young women who have just arrived on campus, thinness feels like the ticket into the best possible college experience," one student said.

"I didn't realize that someone who was 19 and also not super-overweight could get on it. I was like, ‘I gotta hop on,’" another said.

One former sorority recruiter said, "It's like, 'Well, there's no excuse for people to be fat because they could just get a GLP-1.'"

Jay Campbell, longevity and peptide expert and bestselling author, said that while these drugs were built to solve a metabolic crisis, they've been "hijacked as a cosmetic shortcut."

"For someone who's metabolically dysregulated, they are a genuine medical intervention," he told Fox News Digital. "But to a 20-year-old sorority member with a normal BMI, they look like an aesthetic hack in a syringe."

"Sororities are built on social visibility and constant comparison," Campbell said. "Everyone is looking at everyone's Instagram."

"When one girl drops 15 pounds in six weeks, that news spreads through the sorority house faster than any diet fad in history, because the results are fast, dramatic, and don't require the discipline of nutrition or training."

College-aged women already tend to have "high body-image sensitivity," he noted, which is heightened in the age of "a full-scale social contagion."

OZEMPIC USERS MAY BE MAKING A MAJOR WEIGHT-LOSS MISTAKE, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS

"Many of these young women grew up already fighting disordered relationships with food and their physical bodies, and [now] you have a medication that can play on their insecurities."

That’s not to say GLP-1s don’t benefit many patients. In clinical studies of people taking the medications for obesity, fat mass generally accounts for more of the lost weight than lean mass, Campbell pointed out.

"The peptide isn't catabolic by itself – the real risk is that a healthy 20-year-old who isn't obese has far less metabolic and muscular reserve to lose from in the first place."

When a young woman loses weight rapidly without consuming enough protein or doing resistance training, she may lose a greater proportion of lean mass, Campbell warned. Rapid weight loss can also contribute to the facial or body changes sometimes referred to as "Ozempic face" and "Ozempic body."

For college students considering a weight-loss medication, Campbell recommends taking the following five steps before beginning treatment.

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"If you're not obese or metabolically compromised, ask yourself honestly why you're taking a medication designed for a disease you don't have," Campbell suggested.

While muscle loss is preventable, it requires work that most people using these drugs for cosmetic reasons aren't doing, Campbell said.

"That means real protein intake, not a protein bar as an afterthought, and resistance training," he advised. "Skip both, and you will absolutely lose muscle tissue that you cannot easily get back at 20 years old."

While adequate protein intake and resistance training may help reduce muscle loss, the amount of lean mass lost varies from person to person.

"Fertility matters here in a way most college students never think about," Campbell said.

GLP-1 medications should not be used for weight loss during pregnancy, experts agree. Semaglutide labeling advises stopping Wegovy at least two months before a planned pregnancy.

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Tirzepatide has been shown to reduce the effectiveness of oral hormonal contraceptives during treatment initiation and dose increases, so the FDA advises using an alternate method for four weeks during those periods.

Mental health still deserves attention, particularly for young adults with depression, anxiety, eating disorders or a history of using food to cope emotionally.

While the FDA has found no increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior from GLP-1 medications, patients should tell their prescriber about any new or worsening mood symptoms.

"Nobody knows what 10 or 20 years of GLP-1 use looks like in a woman who started at 20 with a normal body weight, because that population barely existed in the clinical trials," Campbell cautioned.

"Consider this a reminder to stop treating a powerful metabolic medication like a lifestyle accessory."

While GLP-1 medications can suppress appetite, Campbell added, "they will not fix a broken metabolic foundation or whatever underlying reason a 20-year-old feels she needs to lose weight in the first place."

"We’ve built a pharmaceutical shortcut that used to require months of behavior change, and young women in high-visibility social environments are early adopters of anything that changes how they look, fast."

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Campbell stressed that treatment should involve a qualified prescriber who evaluates the patient’s medical history and goals, provides appropriate monitoring, adjusts the dose as needed and helps manage potential side effects.

Fox News Digital reached out to the National Panhellenic Conference and to GLP-1 manufacturers requesting comment.

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Richard Branson’s wife could have survived with crucial medication, coroner finds

The death of Richard Branson's wife, Lady Joan Branson, could have been prevented if she had received medication to prevent blood clots, a British coroner reportedly found.

Lady Branson died at 80 after being admitted to the hospital in November 2025 after a fall weeks earlier on Necker Island, a British Virgin Island owned by her billionaire husband.

Her cause of death was determined to be a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot travels to the lungs and blocks an artery, the BBC reported.

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Senior coroner Fiona Wilcox told Westminster Coroner's Court earlier this month that Lady Branson did not receive preventive anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, at the hospital despite a "very high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis," according to the outlet.

According to testimony during the legal inquest, Lady Branson's biggest risk factors included her immobility after a fracture following her fall.

"I do find her death would have likely been prevented and the lack of anticoagulation did cause or contribute to her death probably," Wilcox said.

COMMON ANTIBIOTIC LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF DEATH IN ADULTS, MAJOR STUDY FINDS

Wilcox added, however, that the case was not one of neglect because Branson did receive medical care.

The inquest, she said, was to "explore the facts, come to the correct conclusions and learn lessons from this," The Independent reported.

During the inquest, doctors gave differing testimony about whether bleeding risk justified withholding the medication, namely enoxaparin, an injectable blood thinner commonly used to help prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.

EVERYDAY HABIT LINKED TO DRAMATICALLY LOWER RISK OF DYING FROM HEART DISEASE

The hospital's admitting doctor, Dr. Basir Kunduzi, testified that he did not complete a bleeding risk assessment on the day of Lady Branson's admission.

Kunduzi said Lady Branson's death led him to "reflect on [his] role as a doctor" and the importance of "good communication between team members," according to the BBC.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the hospital for comment.

The findings highlight the lifesaving role of blood thinners, which are often used in hospitals to help prevent DVT in patients who are unable to move normally after surgery, fractures or prolonged bed rest. They can increase the risk of bleeding, however, so doctors must weigh both risks before giving them.

Nearly all hospitalized adults should receive some form of blood clot prevention, either with blood-thinning medication or mechanical devices that help keep blood flowing in the legs, Dr. Jared Ross, a South Carolina-based emergency medicine physician, told Fox News Digital.

"In the vast majority of cases, the benefits outweigh the risks," Ross, who was not involved in the inquest or Branson's care, added.

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A spokeswoman for Sir Branson said the family does not plan to comment on the inquest and pointed to the numerous social media posts he has made for his wife.

"Life will never be the same without her," Branson wrote on Instagram last year, calling her the "shining star" of the family. "But we have fifty incredible years of memories — years filled with tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that shaped our family more than words could ever capture. It was a relationship that worked. We just had lots of laughs. We were very lucky."

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Although pulmonary embolisms can be life-threatening, prompt treatment greatly improves the chances of survival, making early recognition critical.

Symptoms of DVT can include swelling, pain or tenderness, warmth and redness in the affected leg or arm, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a clot travels to the lungs, may cause shortness of breath, chest pain that worsens with deep breathing or coughing, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, coughing up blood, lightheadedness or fainting.

The CDC and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute say anyone with symptoms of a pulmonary embolism should seek immediate medical attention.

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