A major new lawsuit claims that more than 900 people suffered gastrointestinal problems from Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs, sometimes even after they stopped taking them.
As Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ReportsThis is the first lawsuit targeting GLP-1. It is believed to mimic It leaves you feeling fuller and has many both unexpected benefits and concerning side effects.
“If the danger is serious, there needs to be a warning, even if it’s infrequent,” said Paul Pennock, one of the lawyers who filed the lawsuit. Post-Gazette“I think we can demonstrate that the warnings that existed to date did not succinctly explain what was actually going on.”
Pennock described the situation of a patient this summer who had been hospitalized multiple times because the medication caused symptoms so severe.
“Her symptoms are severe and she has been to the emergency room multiple times, including last weekend,” he said. said CBS “She actually vomited so hard that one of her teeth fell out.”
Last week, Pennock’s team, which represents 929 plaintiffs, and representatives of the pharmaceutical companies that make popular weight-loss injectables such as Ozempic and Maunjaro, presented their positions at a so-called “science day,” an event that helps inform the court in complex cases like this one.
Attorney Jonathan Orent, who also represents the plaintiffs, said that while it could be years before the case goes to court, he expects it will be “on trial in the not-too-distant future.”
During this pretrial process, pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilly (which makes Maunjaro and Zepbound) and Novo Nordisk (which makes Ozempic and Wegovi) acknowledged that the drugs do cause gastrointestinal problems, but there were significant disagreements over the severity and classification of potential side effects that would be the basis of the trials.
As Orent explained, the majority of the plaintiffs in the case suffered from gastroparesis, a long-term condition that involves paralysis of the intestine, making it difficult for food to be emptied from the stomach into the small intestine.
“I think it was a big win today,” Orent said, “to hear from the companies that no one is disputing that these drugs can cause the harms that have occurred in over 85 percent of these multidistrict litigation.”
This is a somewhat optimistic summary. Representatives of pharmaceutical companies say that gastroparesis and temporary Delayed gastric emptyingAs the name suggests, this occurs when the process of emptying the stomach contents into the small intestine becomes delayed or slowed.
The conditions are Sometimes used interchangeably In the medical community, Orent’s co-counsel, Sarah Ruane, said the defense spent a lot of time figuring out what to call these side effects.
“There’s been a lot of rhetoric thrown around today, but the actual realities that our clients are experiencing — hospitalization, time off work, not being able to perform daily functions for their families — are all real,” Ruane said. Post-Gazette“That’s all happening.”
Eli Lilly lawyer Mark Premo Hopkins told the paper that while the drug may “temporarily” slow gastric emptying, it should not be confused with gastroparesis, a more permanent and serious condition. There is no known cure.
“Our view is that it does not cause gastroparesis, which is not simply delayed gastric emptying,” Premo Hopkins said. “The clinical symptoms of gastroparesis are common. They are identical to and indistinguishable from the symptoms of many other diseases.”
Semantics aside, pretrial disagreements between plaintiff and defendant Existential Questions What are the thoughts about these drugs and their many risks? Do they cause permanent damage, and even if they do, will that actually deter patients from taking them who want to enjoy their significant health benefits, or, more realistically, lose weight for cosmetic reasons?
More about GLP-1: Researchers say there’s something fishy about studies showing drugs like Ozempic have big health benefits.
