Van Arsdale said Eddy is one of about 2,000 patients his firm represents in the matter, and that 10 percent of their symptoms may be permanent. Most patients have not yet actually filed individual lawsuits. Eddy’s and other cases handled by Van Arsdale’s firm have been consolidated in federal court in Pennsylvania, but the consolidated lawsuits could be moved. Pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are named in the lawsuit.
“The people we represent have contacted us and explained what happened and clearly said, ‘If I had known this was going to happen to this drug, I would never have taken it,'” Van Arsdale said. “By law, the manufacturers of these products are required to do so, but they’re not doing enough.”
“My life has been turned upside down,” Eddie said.
The big question is: Was the drug to blame? Gastroparesis, a condition that paralyzes the stomach, affects an estimated 1.8 percent of the population, according to studies, and the patients for whom doctors prescribe the drug often already have illnesses or disabilities, such as Eddie’s rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Libress, has argued that the lawsuit is without merit.
“Patient safety is our top priority,” the company said in a written statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The company noted that some of its GLP-1 drugs have been on the market for more than a decade and all have been studied and evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has also approved the products’ labels, which include a list of “known risks and benefits,” the statement said.
“Novo Nordisk guarantees the safety and effectiveness of all our GLP-1 medicines when used as directed and taken under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional,” the statement said.
GLP-1 drugs are designed to trick the brain into thinking the body has already eaten, allowing digestion to naturally slow down. Digestive problems such as abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and constipation are known side effects of GLP-1 drugs. Harvard Medical School’s public advice page suggests eating crackers and mints to reduce nausea, and in the case of diarrhea, drinking plenty of water and avoiding fiber and dairy products until the symptoms pass.
The problem, according to the lawsuit, is that such language simply does not capture the severity of the symptoms some patients actually experience.
Gastroparesis affects different patients to different degrees, but patients describe it as life-changing.
Patients interviewed by the AJC described periodic bouts of pain and diarrhea that left them incapacitated for months or years, long after they had stopped taking the medication. They said they could barely control their bowels when they had diarrhea, let alone control them. Eddie said he has a family gathering for his grandson’s 21st birthday, but won’t be eating. The last time he ate at a family gathering, he tried to go to the bathroom but failed, causing an accident among relatives.
She said the bloating felt like she was seven months pregnant and the pain made her sweat.
Oren Wiggins, pastor of a small church in Carroll County and a former Ozempic patient, says he doesn’t suffer as often as Eddie. A few times a month, he says, he experiences what starts as stomach pains that can keep him glued to the bathroom all day. His wife has had to call congregants to explain the situation, and he’s had to miss church at least twice. “It’s kind of embarrassing being a pastor and not being able to go to church,” he says. “But there’s nothing you can do about it, right?”
“Given what this drug did to me, I would not recommend it to anyone,” he said.
Van Arsdale said some medical experts have linked stomach upset to the medication, and he hopes drug companies such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly will change their labeling.
“I think it’s a really great drug and I think it’s going to help with a lot of things, including the health risks that come with obesity,” Van Arsdale said. But the label alone isn’t enough, he said.
“The amount of marketing dollars that these pharmaceutical companies are spending on direct-to-consumer advertising is enormous,” Van Arsdale said. “Considering that roughly 3 percent of the U.S. population takes these drugs, they are clearly very effective. We ask that defendants continue to redirect some of the marketing dollars they are spending on television and social media advertising into resources to study these side effects on a much larger scale so that consumers can be properly warned.”
