NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man claims he lost his gallbladder after taking weight loss drugs, and now his attorney is preparing to file a lawsuit.
Ozempic and similar drugs used for diabetes have been touted as a way to lose weight.
Blair Durham of Bert Durham Injury Lawyers said: “We investigated and found that in 2017, Ozempic's warning label said nothing about gastroparesis or gallbladder problems, but people are He was suffering from such symptoms.”
Digestive problems can include bleeding and ulcers, Durham said.
“It can ultimately lead to death, and they are essentially fooling people who are trying to lose weight,” Durham said.
Miracle weight loss pills may be too good to be true, he says.
“A man called me and said he was in Ozempic and needed to go to the hospital to have his gallbladder removed,” Durham said.
They plan to file a lawsuit on behalf of a client who lost an organ.
“All these companies are getting emails from the FDA saying, 'Hey, what the heck? We need to list these as warnings,'” Durham said.
Although the labels were eventually upgraded, it was too late for some people, he said.
“This is just a massive deception by the drug companies,” Durham said.
Dr. Blair finds it difficult for patients to determine whether a reaction is minor or indicative of a serious internal problem.
“And for them, something like nausea is worth losing 10 pounds, but what they don't know is that it can also cause and lead to permanent changes in their lives. Or maybe you could lose your life,” Durham said.
Other lawsuits have been filed across the country, including in Louisiana.
“Right now, they're all individual cases, but I think we're going to see an avalanche of people who get seriously ill just by trying to lose a little weight,” Durham said.
We contacted Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, but did not receive a response. The company's stock price has soared, and its market value is now thought to be more than $500 billion.
Side effects can be reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Carrie's recommendations are as follows:
Remember Davin Lucas?Thanks to the local community, he gets a new wheelchair
You'd be hard pressed to find a better story than this – it literally brought tears to my eyes. Shortly after Kelsey's first story aired on Davin, I received an email from Permobil. The email basically said, “Carrie, we have received this.” And boy did they! It's really amazing what this community can do. Big shout out to everyone who made a difference in Davin!
-Carrie Sharp
