Patients who alleged they suffered from stomach paralysis after using Ozempic and Wegovy have sued Novo Nordisk, the maker of the drugs.
DailyMail.com reported that patients say they weren’t warned about the risks of suffering life-long injuries, and attorneys predicted ‘thousands’ more lawsuits.
Likewise, Eli Lilly, which makes rival drug Mounjaro, has been sued at least ten times for unwarranted side effects.
A woman who will suffer diarrhea for the rest of her life after using Ozempic is among dozens of patients who are suing the maker of the blockbuster weight loss drug over claims it left them with crippling stomach paralysis, a DailyMail.com investigation reveals.
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, is facing lawsuits from patients across America who say they experienced extreme side effects which they were allegedly not warned about.
Thousands more patients have also come forward to claim they suffered adverse reactions to the drugs and attorneys say many more could join the growing legal campaign.
Throughout all of the lawsuits, Novo Nordisk is accused of not properly warning about gastroparesis risks on the packaging of its products.
At least ten lawsuits have also been filed against Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, a diabetes drug which works in a similar way to Ozempic and Wegovy and is also prescribed off-label for weight loss. Eli Lilly is also accused of failing to include proper warnings about Mounjaro’s risks.
In one case, a woman who used Ozempic and Mounjaro claims she was diagnosed with gastroparesis which caused her to vomit so much that some of her teeth feel out.
In another, a woman was diagnosed with a ‘life-threatening bowel injury’ after using Ozempic and underwent surgery which last nearly nine hours. Doctors said she would be in pain ‘for the rest of her life’ and ‘will never have a solid bowel movement again’.
A third case brought by a woman who used Wegovy claims she was diagnosed with ‘severe gastroparesis’ and was hospitalized with symptoms including going a week without bowel movement.
More than 40 cases have been filed in federal courts across America and attorneys are reviewing thousands more. The cases are expected to be grouped together later this month into a multidistrict litigation (MDL), which will centralize them before a single judge.
Cameron Stephenson, an attorney at Levin Papantonio Rafferty, told DailyMail.com his firm currently has around 100 clients who were diagnosed with gastroparesis after using the drugs, and it is investigating 1,000 more.
Despite Ozempic’s FDA approval for type 2 diabetes, millions of Americans have taken it to lose weight off-label. Besides diabetes, Mount Kilimanjaro can also be prescribed for weight loss.