Ozempic Lawsuits: March Update

I have previously written about how the “magic” diabetes and weight loss drugs in a class called GLP-1 agonists, or glucagon-like peptide 1, are costing many people their health. I also shared more information on the serious, and sometimes life-threatening, side effects Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and other popular diabetes and weight loss drugs are causing.

Today, I’d like to give you an update on the legal landscape surrounding claims of harm, as of March 2024.

Multidistrict litigation (MDL) for severe gastrointestinal injuries

In my previous blogs, I covered many stories in the news of the harms many individuals experienced from taking these drugs, everything from gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, to intestinal blockages, to pancreatitis (serious inflammation of the pancreas), to gall bladder disease. Many of these individuals have filed lawsuits, the first of which was filed by Jaclyn Bjorklund, a Louisiana woman who suffered stomach paralysis after taking two of these drugs over the course of the year.

In February 2024, Bjorklund’s suit and at least 55 other suits were combined into a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. That number, as of this month, March, has now climbed to more than five dozen. The plaintiffs’ attorneys involved estimate that the number of suits could be in the tens of thousands.

Greater popularity of GLP-1s also means more victims

Everyone is still talking about these drugs, despite the harms they perpetuate, both medically and societally. They’re at the Academy Awards. They are in advertisements that steal the language that body and fat positive activists have used to fight products and programs like these. They are on primetime TV specials with celebrities singing their praises.

J.P. Morgan Research has forecasted that the market for these drugs will exceed $100 billion by 2030, and that by that time, the total number of U.S. users could number 30 million – or more than 9% of the country’s population. With numbers like these, the number of victims is rising and will continue to rise. More people will lose teeth due to uncontrolled vomiting, like Ms. Bjorklund. More people will have to have their gallbladder removed or be unable to eat anything at all, like individuals considering joining the lawsuit. Many people will never be the same.

What is a multidistrict litigation?

A multidistrict litigation is a federal legal procedure that helps speed and simplify the process of handling complex cases with similar claims across different districts by centralizing the lawsuits. MDLs have been used to get compensation for victims and families of air disasters, for example, or to address claims of people harmed by other pharmaceuticals lacking adequate warnings. A great example is the FenPhen MDL, where $4.83 billion was paid to people who took yet another “miracle” weight loss drug, a cocktail known as FenPhen that was pulled off the market in 1997, and caused severe, life-threatening heart problems.

What are the other problems we’re seeing with Ozempic and Wegovy?

As if the lawsuits, the reports of horrible side effects, and the potential lifelong harms weren’t enough, the intensity of this trend has doctors scrambling to support their patients and provide adequate information. These drugs have complicated and extremely common side effects, with over 20% of patients experiencing nausea and 1 in 500 experiencing acute pancreatitis, an extremely painful condition. Many doctors, especially busy primary care doctors, do not have the time to counsel their patients adequately about the drugs and what side effects may arise, much less to monitor them over many months, where more serious side effects arise.

Have you been harmed by taking Ozempic or other weight loss medications? Vern Ready can help.

If you have experienced symptoms and life-changing impacts like these, you deserve an advocate who cares about your experiences and the effect on your life. You are not alone, and you need an expert who can guide you through the complex legal landscape surrounding these drugs. Vern Ready will work closely with you every step of the way.

If you have experienced injuries as a result of taking a diabetes or weight loss medication, seek help now. Reach out to Ready Law today and do not suffer alone. Vern Ready always offers free consultations with no obligation to do anything other than discuss what you have experienced. Call 303-339-8846 or schedule your free consultation with me in person or on Zoom/Facetime/Webex by clicking here.