Quite simply, over a thousand victims have filed Ozempic lawsuits because the company spent almost a billion dollars promoting the drug, but didn’t warn users of the serious side effects. Ozempic is prescribed for diabetes but has also become popular as a weight loss drug. However, it has been linked to nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a rare and incurable eye condition that causes vision loss and blindness.
The Story Behind Ozempic
Ozempic and other weight loss drugs radically alter the body’s digestive system. It stands to reason that since this drug is so powerful, it may have some unintended consequences in these areas.
Specifically, semaglutide manipulates GLP-1 hormones. During early research in the 1970s, doctors hoped this manipulation could treat stomach ulcers and other such conditions. In 1993, researchers thought they’d achieved a breakthrough. Michael Nauck infused GLP-1 into people with type 2 diabetes, stimulating insulin while inhibiting glucagon and bringing blood glucose to normal levels.
However, treating diabetes patients with GLP-1 hormones resulted in significant side effects.
NAION is a very troubling side effect. This eye disease resembles a detached retina. Due to a lack of blood flow to the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, these victims basically wake up one morning and can’t see through one eye. NAION, or an eye stroke, is the most common cause of optic nerve swelling and optic neuropathy in adults over 50.
FDA Reactions
Despite its many serious side-effects, which researchers are still uncovering, the Food and Drug Administration approved Ozempic for sale as a diabetes drug in 2017.
In 2021, Novo Nordisk asked the FDA to approve Ozempic for use as a weight loss drug. The FDA granted this request and didn’t back off, even though a 2023 study revealed that most Ozempic users gained back two-thirds of the weight they lost within two years after discontinuing the drug.
The MDL Process
Since dangerous drugs, like Ozempic, usually injure thousands of people, officials consolidate these actions into Multidistrict Litigation actions. MDL is basically a hybrid between a class-action lawsuit and an individual action.
For much of the process, MDL lawsuits are almost exactly like class-action lawsuits. Officials consolidate these cases into a central location, which in this case is a federal court in Pennsylvania. A product liability attorney must be familiar with the unique MDL process and also have the resources to handle a case in another state.
The presiding judge usually appoints a special master who has experience in a given area, such as a dangerous diabetes/weight loss drug. So, this master is well-qualified to rule on pretrial motions that often rely on obscure scientific data.
Once petitions pass this pretrial hurdle, discovery begins. During this information exchange process, both sides must put all their cards face up on the table. So, if a case settles too early, the best evidence, and therefore maximum compensation, may be unavailable.
The Ozempic lawsuit is a good example. Attorneys could have settled these cases earlier, but if they had, evidence of NAION and other serious side-effects, which drive up the claim’s settlement value, would have been unavailable. So, the victims would have settled for less.
Sometimes, a mediator gets involved at this point, to help the parties compromise and reach a settlement agreement. Bellwether trials assist the settlement process as well.
In the unlikely event a case doesn’t settle, the MDL court sends it back to its home jurisdiction for trial.
Powerful drugs, like Ozempic, have powerful side-effects. For a free consultation with an experienced pharmaceutical lawyer, contact Napoli Shkolnik. We handle these claims on a nationwide basis.