Health
Published January 13, 2024, 5:32 p.m. ET
An Ozempic user will have diarrhea for the rest of her life after suffering a serious intestinal injury allegedly caused by injections of the popular weight loss drug. AP
An Ozempic user will suffer from diarrhea for the rest of her life after suffering a serious intestinal injury – allegedly caused by injections of the hugely popular weight loss drug.
According to a report published Saturday by the Chron, the unidentified woman is one of a dozen people who have filed lawsuits since November against Novo Nordisk, the parent company of Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy.
All plaintiffs claimed the vaccinations caused gastroparesis – a rare condition that affects the spontaneous movement of stomach muscles.
According to the Mayo Clinic, gastroparesis causes patients to experience nausea, bloating and severe abdominal pain. Vomiting, weight loss, and malnutrition may also occur.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was diagnosed with a “life-threatening intestinal injury” after using Ozempic, prompting surgeons to subsequently perform an eight-hour surgery in hopes of repairing her colon.
While she managed to survive the frightening medical incident, doctors reportedly told her she would be in pain “for the rest of her life” and “never have solid stools again.”
The woman is now accusing Novo Nordisk of “not properly warning about the risk of gastroparesis on the medication packaging.”
It's unclear whether she was taking the drug for weight loss or to treat diabetes. It is also unknown how long she had been taking medication before the intestinal injury.
According to The Mayo Clinic, gastroparesis causes patients to experience nausea, bloating and severe abdominal pain. Vomiting, weight loss, and malnutrition may also occur. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Both Ozempic and Wegovy were originally developed for people with type 2 diabetes before being prescribed by doctors to help patients lose weight.
The medication semaglutide is injected once a week into the stomach, thigh or arm and helps The pancreas releases the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high.
“Semaglutide is produced while we eat; It tells the brain that we are full,” said Dr. Katherine H. Saunders, a New York City physician, previously told The Post.
“It helps people feel less hungry, feel full faster, and stay full longer—but that’s what happens when we’re actually less full.”
While the vaccinations have helped thousands of users lose weight super-fast, the Chron claims in a separate lawsuit that one Wegovy user went without a bowel movement for a week.
The plaintiff was admitted to the hospital where doctors diagnosed her with gastroparesis.
The Post has asked Novo Nordisk for comment on the numerous lawsuits.
Injected once a week into the stomach, thigh, or arm, semaglutide helps the pancreas release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Getty Images
Meanwhile, weight-loss vaccines made by other pharmaceutical giants have also reportedly caused similar problems.
A third lawsuit, obtained by the Chron, was allegedly filed against Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, another injectable that works in a similar way to Wegovy and Ozempic.
According to the legal filing, a woman who took both Ozempic and Mounjaro was diagnosed with “gastroparesis, which caused her to vomit so much that some of her teeth fell out.”
At least nine other lawsuits have been filed against Eli Lilly, according to the report.
Mother-of-two Brea Hand, 23, is an Ozempic user who has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk. Facebook/Brea Hand
Florida lawyer Cameron Stephenson told the Chron that his firm “currently has around 100 clients who have been diagnosed with gastroparesis” after taking the injectable medication. He believes the current suits will be just the tip of the iceberg.
“I have no doubt that there will be thousands of cases,” he explained.
Mother-of-two Brea Hand, 23, is an Ozempic user who has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk.
She says she suffered from gastroparesis after being prescribed Ozempic for weight loss and to treat prediabetes last May.
The Oklahoma native reportedly suffered from nausea, vomiting and constipation before ending up in the intensive care unit on her fifth hospital visit.
“They said my body was so acidic that if I had waited another day I wouldn't have made it,” Hand explained in her suit. “It was scary. It was painful. I've never experienced pain like that in my life and I never want to go through it again.”
Hand says she suffered from gastroparesis after being prescribed Ozempic for weight loss and to treat prediabetes last May. Facebook/Brea Hand
She called on the pharmaceutical company to be more transparent about the possible side effects of the extremely popular drug.
“I think they should definitely point out more about the risks involved,” she wrote.
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