Lawsuits filed against the manufacturers of Ozempic, Mounjaro, and other weight control and diabetes drugs have alleged that these medications can cause serious gastrointestinal side effects, including gastroparesis, stomach paralysis (“frozen stomach”), and other conditions.
Patients who were prescribed Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, or other similar medications to treat diabetes or obesity and have developed gastroparesis or other gastrointestinal issues may qualify to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for their illness.
Ozempic and Other Diabetes, Weight Control Drugs Linked to GI Issues
Ozempic (semaglutide) is part of a class of medications known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which were originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for diabetes, but are also commonly prescribed off-label by doctors to help patients with weight control.
Other diabetes and weight loss drugs that belong to this class of drugs include Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Rybelsus (semiglutide), Saxenda (liraglutide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and Wegovy (semaglutide).
As Ozempic and similar drugs became widely prescribed to help patients struggling with obesity, doctors and patients began to report serious stomach problems that were occurring in patients who were being treated with these medications.
A number of patients treated with Ozempic, Mounjaro, and other GLP-1 receptor agonists have developed gastroparesis, a serious gastrointestinal condition in which the nerves and muscles of the stomach become weaker, causing problems with digestion.
Other gastrointestinal problems linked to Ozempic and similar drugs include stomach paralysis (“frozen stomach”), bowel obstructions, ileus (the inability of the intestines to eliminate food or waste), and intestinal blockages.
Lawyers Predict Thousands of Ozempic, Mounjaro Lawsuits
In the Fall of 2023, the first lawsuit against the manufacturers of Ozempic and Mounjaro was filed by a Louisiana woman who developed serious gastrointestinal side effects after taking both medications to treat her type 2 diabetes.
According to her lawsuit, Janice Bjorklund alleges that after months of taking Ozempic and Mounjaro, she began to experience symptoms of serious gastrointestinal problems, including vomiting and stomach pain.
Bjorklund alleges that she was eventually hospitalized as a result of illness, and was put on medications by her doctors in order to relieve her gastrointestinal symptoms.
Her lawsuit alleges that Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the manufacturers of Ozempic and Mounjaro, failed to properly warn doctors and patients about the risk of serious gastrointestinal problems that they could face from taking these drugs.
Dozens of additional lawsuits have also been filed against the manufacturers of Ozempic and Mounjaro by other patients who developed gastroparesis or other side effects after using these medications for diabetes and weight loss treatment.
Attorneys who involved this litigation have predicted that as many as 10,000 lawsuits could eventually be filed by patients who developed serious GI disorders from Ozempic, Mounjaro, or other medications that are part of this drug class.
Patients With Ozempic Side Effects May Qualify to File a Lawsuit
If you or a loved one used drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Saxenda, or Trulicity for weight loss or diabetes and have been diagnosed with gastroparesis, stomach paralysis (“frozen stomach”), or other gastrointestinal side effects, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit and receive compensation for your illness.
In order to start the process of filing a claim, it is important to seek the assistance of a law firm with experience in pharmaceutical liability litigation.
An experienced attorney can help you determine whether you qualify to file a lawsuit, gather the medical records and other evidence that you may need to substantiate your claim, and help guide you through the steps that are involved in taking legal action.
