Consumers blaming weight-loss jabs for eye strokes, ruptured colons and vomiting spells have launched a series of lawsuits against some of the world’s biggest drug manufacturers.
Increasing numbers of Americans turn to GLP-1 drugs in a bid to shed excess weight, with as much as 12 percent of the U.S. now using a weight-loss jab, according to KFF estimates.
However, as the number of Americans using the jabs climbs, so too have the number of people suing the manufacturers.
According to USA Today, 4,400 patients have filed lawsuits against drug producers since 2023. The ages of the plaintiffs range from 18 to 87.
Around 75 percent of those plaintiffs allege that they have been left with gastroparesis, a condition that slows the emptying of the stomach. Another 8 percent have reported extreme gastrointestinal complications, including extreme vomiting.
The drugs companies have said they will defend against the claims in court, with test trials not expected until 2027.
JoHelen McClain, a 72-year-old real estate agent from Oklahoma City, told USA Today that her symptoms were particularly severe.
In March 2024, while driving her 14-year-old granddaughter home from a softball game, McClain says she heard a bang – similar to the popping of a balloon.
“What was that?” her granddaughter cried. After racing to the hospital, McClain was diagnosed with a ruptured colon. The grandmother says she was diagnosed with sepsis and spent a gruelling five days in the hospital.
In January this year, she became one of the thousands of people suing Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, which produces both Wegovy and Ozempic.
In another case Todd Engel, a heavy machinery operator from Maryland, told USA Today he was one of the many people who started taking Ozempic for diabetes.
However, the 63-year-old’s life changed in October 2023 when he was left without sight in one of his eyes. Medics soon realised that he had suffered an “eye-stroke” – also known as NAION – which restricts blood to the optic nerve, the outlet reported.
European Ozempic labels state that semaglutide can cause NAION in up to 1 in 10,000 people, according to Reuters.
In a joint court filing in 2024 detailing their intentions to fight the claims, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly said that their products went through rigorous testing.
“GLP-1RAs are medicines that have revolutionized the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity,” the statement said. “Numerous clinical studies have show that GLP-1RAs reduce the risk of death and asdverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks and strokes.
“The safety profile of GLP-1 RAs has been well-established in hundreds of clinical trials, large-scale observational studies, and nearly two decades of real-world use.
“The known risks associated with these medicines are reflected in their FDA-approved product labeling which, collectively FDA has reviewed more than 40 times and are discussed in textbooks, treatment guidelines and journals.”
Meanwhile, demand for the drugs continues to increase. Prescriptions for the GLP-1s rocketed from 1 million at the start of 2018 to 9 million in 2022, according to Trilliant Health. Meanwhile, the use of Ozempic and Wegovy doubled between 2024 and 2025, according to Gallup.
The Independent has contacted Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for comment.
“Novo Nordisk remains confident in the benefit-risk profile of our GLP-1 medicines, when used consistent with their indications and product labeling,” a spokesperson told USA Today.
“Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority, and we actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines,” a spokesperson for Eli Lilly added.
