Ozempic, Mounjaro makers sued over claims of “stomach paralysis” side effects

A personal injury law firm has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co., the manufacturers of Ozempic and Mounjaroabove claims that the substances which are popular for helping with weight losscan cause gastroparesis, a paralysis of the stomach.

Paul Pennock and Jonathan Sedgh, the lawyers leading the lawsuit from the firm Morgan & Morgan, announced the filing at a press conference on Wednesday, saying the basis of the case is “a failure to warn.”

“It is our belief that these drugs are causing these problems. We believe the evidence is sufficient for us 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 during the Zoom conference, noting that the first case filed involves a 44-year-old Louisiana woman who has taken both drugs, Ozempic first and then Mounjaro, at her doctor’s discretion.

“Her problems have been so severe that she has been to the emergency room several times, including last weekend. She has actually even thrown up so badly that she has lost teeth,” he said of the plaintiff, who is seeking financial compensation, but yet have not been officially diagnosed with gastroparesis.

Pennock says his company is investigating 400 other inquiries from customers in 45 states.

Tirzepatid, sold under the brand name Mounjaro, and semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, are administered once a week by syringe. Mounjaro is known as a GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, while Ozempic and Wegovy are known as GLP-1 receptor agonists.

What is gastroparesis?

Also called delayed gastric emptying, gastroparesis is a disorder that “slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine, even if there is no blockage in the stomach or intestines,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

In a statement to CBS News, Novo Nordisk said gastrointestinal or GI events are “well-known side effects of the GLP-1 class.”

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

CBS News has also contacted Eli Lilly and Co. for a comment.

Mounjaro and Ozempic are FDA approved diabetes medication, while Wegovy is FDA-approved specifically for weight loss.

These drugs were originally developed to treat patients with type 2 diabetes, as they produce insulin and lower blood sugar. They also release a hormone that slows digestion and keeps food in the patient’s stomach longer. This process suppresses hunger and leads to weight loss – but there can be side effects, and doctors warn that long-term effects remain unknown.

–Cara Korte contributed to this report.