People with Type II Diabetes often rely on medication to help manage their condition, in addition to maintaining their diet and establishing an exercise routine. Ozempic, an injectable medication that is also sold under the names Wegovy and Rybelsus, has been marketed to Type II diabetics as a way to help reduce their blood sugar levels.
Because one of its side effects helps people lose weight, Ozempic—the brand name for the chemical compound Semaglutide—has also been used by some to achieve weight loss. Unfortunately, new reports reveal some Ozempic users are experiencing severe gallbladder issues after receiving the drug. Many of these users have filed Ozempic lawsuits to recover their losses.
The makers of Ozempic have been accused of failing to provide an accurate warning label for their product. As a result, Ozempic users are now pursuing product liability claims against the makers of Ozempic to recover compensation for financial damages including medical bills, lost wages, and even pain and suffering.
It remains to be seen how compelling the courts will find the evidence of Ozempic’s risks. Bringing a dangerous drug lawsuit is complicated and stressful.
If you have been harmed by taking Ozempic, it is in your best interest to work with a product liability lawyer who can present persuasive arguments to demonstrate the drug manufacturer’s negligence and the impact of your injuries on your health, finances, lifestyle, and career.
Don't wait any longer, call 866-535-9515 or submit your case for review today!
Ozempic Lawsuit Updates
Read all the latest updates on the Ozempic lawsuits as they come in.
February 2, 2024 - Ozempic is Officially an MDL
An important decision concerning the Ozempic lawsuits was made today when the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) decided to merge these cases into a single Multidistrict Litigation (MDL).
This marks a critical point for everyone affected by Ozempic or involved in the cases.
Merging the lawsuits into an MDL will speed up the pre-trial process, hopefully leading to quicker resolutions for the plaintiffs.
January 15, 2023 - Court Rules Louisiana Plaintiff Can’t Revise Claim to Preserve Negligence Accusation
In December of 2023, U.S. District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. dismissed the breach of express warranty claims against Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk. Thus, product liability claims that were solely based on this accusation were removed from the ever-growing body of Ozempic stomach paralysis lawsuits housed in federal court in Louisiana.
Plaintiffs had a 30-day window to modify their Ozempic stomach paralysis claims if they wanted to continue to be considered in the multidistrict litigation. Judge Cain is actively enforcing this deadline. He has just prevented one plaintiff who alleges her gastroparesis resulted from using Ozempic from changing her claim to proceed.
How Ozempic Helps Treat Type II Diabetes
Ozempic is a GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Analog-Type drug used to control high blood sugar in Type II diabetics. Type II diabetes is characterized by an inability to process glucose, a form of sugar, normally due to an insufficient supply of insulin, or insulin-resistant conditions.
If left untreated, Type II diabetes can lead to life-threatening conditions such as stroke and heart disease, as well as conditions that diminish a person’s quality of life, such as eye or kidney disease.
Ozempic is intended to mitigate a Type II diabetic’s issues with processing sugar. It accomplishes this by performing the job that is normally done by incretin glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone that increases insulin secretion, in a non-diabetic. Ozempic serves as a blood sugar balancer by preventing excessive sugar production by the liver while also encouraging the pancreas to provide additional insulin to help regulate the body’s blood sugar.
Ozempic is typically sold as a liquid injection that is administered once a week, with the dosage being increased over time. It is not used to treat Type I diabetes or ketoacidosis.
People with Type II diabetes should also maintain a healthy diet and exercise regimen since Ozempic is intended to be used in conjunction with lifestyle changes to manage high blood sugar.
What Injuries Can Be Caused by Ozempic Use?
Ozempic users have reported gallstones, biliary diseases, and acute gallbladder disease after using the medication. The issues associated with this drug’s side effects are primarily focused on the gallbladder which functions as a part of the digestive system.
The gallbladder is an organ that is responsible for storing and discharging bile received from the liver in order to help the body process the fat in food. Ozempic may increase cholesterol, and the gallbladder must create more bile to break it down.
In cases where cholesterol is too high, the gallbladder may be unable to complete this process, leading the cholesterol or other bile materials to form hard deposits known as gallstones. Smaller gallstones may resolve or pass naturally through the body, but a large number of gallstones or a sizable gallstone may need medical intervention.
For example, when a gallstone or several gallstones are large enough to block the bile duct and prevent the release of bile, this is known as Cholecystitis. This inflammation often requires surgery to resolve.
Ozempic and Stomach Paralysis (Gastroparesis)
In addition to problems with the gallbladder, Ozempic has also been connected to stomach paralysis, also known as gastroparesis. This uncomfortable side effect involves the patient suffering from symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, appetite problems, and bloating. Stomach paralysis is caused by the muscles of the digestive tract responsible for moving food through to digest slowing down.
Gastroparesis is believed to be connected to type 2 diabetes which Ozempic is prescribed to treat. Similar drugs to Ozempic such as Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Saxenda, and Mounjaro are also linked to reports of stomach paralysis in patients. As a result, many are now filing Ozempic stomach paralysis lawsuits similar to the ones being filed over gallstones. Mounjaro stomach paralysis lawsuits have been filed and may potentially be joined by Mounjaro gallstone lawsuits if the Ozempic competitor proves to cause the same issues.
Multiple Studies Confirm Patient Reports That Ozempic is a Defective Antidiabetic Medication
In a meta-analysis of clinical trials of Ozempic, a group of researchers found an increased risk of gallbladder issues in Ozempic users who took the drug for weight loss purposes, used the drug in high doses, or over a prolonged period. According to Ozempic’s own warning labels, a 0.5 mg dosage caused Cholelithiasis in 1.5% of participants in the clinical study, and a 1 mg dosage caused Cholelithiasis in 0.4% of study participants.
The study participants who received the placebo drug did not experience Cholelithiasis gallstones. Of the participants who developed gallbladder issues, 90% required surgery to remove their gallbladders.
In short, while gallbladder issues caused by Ozempic may be relatively rare when they do happen, they are typically severe enough to necessitate surgery.
Diabetics File Claims Against Ozempic Makers for Failure to Warn
Novo Nordisk, the company that manufactures Ozempic, secured FDA approval for the drug in 2017. Unfortunately, as we have seen with other defective drugs and medical devices, FDA approval does not necessarily mean that a product is completely safe and does not involve undisclosed or downplayed risks. Prior to updating their packaging label, drug manufacturers did not describe the risk of gallbladder injury associated with using Ozempic. This failure to warn users about potential gallbladder issues has potentially left them open to being held liable for injured users’ damages.
Other companies, such as the manufacturers of Tylenol, have been similarly accused of failure to warn and are now facing claims for personal injury damages. Consumers have a right to be informed of the risks of the medications they use to protect their health before taking the drug.
It appears Novo Nordisk neglected to warn Ozempic users of the risk of gallbladder injury associated with using their product. If plaintiffs can establish that Novo Nordisk’s failure to alert consumers to the increased risk of gallbladder issues resulted in their injuries and subsequent damages, they may be able to hold Ozempic’s manufacturers liable under the legal theory of negligence.
Do You Qualify to File an Ozempic Gallstone Lawsuit?
Ozempic gallstone claims fall under the category of product liability lawsuits. A product liability lawsuit can be brought based on a design flaw, a manufacturing error, a distribution issue, or a failure to provide a warning label.
In the case of the Ozempic claims, the manufacturer did not warn consumers about the increased risk of gallbladder issues until March 2022, even though the drug had been available to consumers for many years by that time.
You may be eligible to bring an Ozempic lawsuit if you meet certain conditions. Specifically, you must have:
- Used Ozempic prior to April 2022
- Suffered gallbladder injuries, such as gallstones
- Sustained financial damages as a result of your gallbladder injuries
To determine if you have a valid claim, you should contact a product liability attorney to discuss your specific circumstances.
During a free consultation with our legal team at Lawsuit Legal News, you can learn more about the process of filing a claim, what evidence you will need to provide, and what a settlement or trial verdict could be worth.
What is an Ozempic Lawsuit Worth?
As with any personal injury lawsuit, the amount of compensation each plaintiff receives will depend on how their injuries have impacted their life financially, physically, and emotionally. For example, a person who passed a small gallstone at home with no other repercussions would likely receive a smaller settlement than a plaintiff who had gallbladder removal surgery and missed two weeks of work as a result of using Ozempic.
At this point, we cannot say exactly what an Ozempic claim may be worth because they have not been resolved yet. To provide a general estimate, we believe plaintiffs who had to endure surgery for gallbladder removal could potentially see damages in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Why You Need an Ozempic Lawyer
With more than 4 million Ozempic prescriptions issued in one recent year alone, we expect many more users will be injured and more Ozempic gallstone lawsuits will be filed. If these dangerous drug cases follow the pattern set by other similar product liability cases, Ozempic lawsuits are poised to become a mass tort situation.
You don’t want to get lost in the shuffle of mass tort litigation and end up receiving nothing or settling for less than you deserve because you did not have your own personal injury lawyer fighting for you. Product liability attorneys are an invaluable resource in a complex personal injury claim.
A skilled Ozempic attorney will manage the administrative tasks that accompany any personal injury claim as well as other legal services typically involved in these cases, such as taking depositions, documenting damages, and ensuring that all filing deadlines are met. A dedicated product liability attorney will also investigate the defective product to help you build a solid case and protect your right to seek compensation for your damages.
The group of Ozempic claims is quite new, so plaintiffs will not have the benefit of knowing how other Ozempic claims have been resolved. This makes working with a skilled negotiator even more important to successfully securing the maximum amount of compensation possible. The defective drug lawyers at Lawsuit Legal News have the experience needed to ascertain the best strategy to maximize your compensation.
Contact a Dedicated Ozempic Lawsuit Lawyer Today
If you have experienced gallstones or gastroparesis after using Ozempic or Mounjaro, you may have the right to bring a product liability personal injury lawsuit against the drug manufacturer. As you can see, these legal claims are complicated, but you don’t have to face them alone.
Contact the knowledgeable legal team at Lawsuit Legal News to learn more about your unique options and how to recover the compensation you need and deserve. Call us at 866-535-9515 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation today.