Ozempic and Mounjaro Makers Sued for Alleged ‘Stomach Paralysis’ Side Effects

A lawsuit has been brought against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co., the creators of Ozempic and Mounjaro, by a personal injury law firm.

The suit claims that these diabetes drugs, known for their weight loss benefits, have the potential to induce gastroparesis, a condition causing stomach paralysis.

According to the National Institutes of Health, gastroparesis is a disorder that “slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine, even though there is no blockage in the stomach or intestines.”

On Wednesday, attorneys Paul Pennock and Jonathan Sedgh from Morgan & Morgan announced the lawsuit, citing a “failure to warn.”

“It is our opinion that these drugs are causing these problems.  We think that the evidence is sufficient for us to be able to prove it, or we would not have filed the case, and we intend to file many more in the coming days and weeks,” Pennock said.

According to Pennock, his law firm is examining 400 additional inquiries from clients across 45 states.

He noted that the first case involved a 44-year-old woman from Louisiana who took both drugs, Ozempic and Mounjaro, as advised by her doctor.

“Her problems have been so severe that she’s been to the emergency room multiple times, including last weekend.  She’s actually even thrown up so violently that she’s lost teeth,” he said of the plaintiff, who is seeking financial compensation.

Novo Nordisk told CBS News that gastrointestinal, or GI, events are “well-known side effects of the GLP-1 class.”

“For semaglutide, most GI side effects are mild to moderate in severity and of short duration.  GLP-1’s are known to cause a delay in gastric emptying, as noted on the label of each of our GLP-1 RA medications.  Symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, nausea, and vomiting are listed as side effects,” the statement continued.

Eli Lilly and Co. said, “Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority, and we actively engage in monitoring and reporting safety information for all our medicines.”