Tampa Bay residents among those who claim Ozempic caused gastric paralysis

Tony Thompson thought he was taking some type of insulin when he was given Ozempic to treat his diabetes in 2021.

The Zephyrhills resident gave himself the medication through weekly injections. After a few weeks, he found himself barely eating, and favorite foods like hamburgers and fries began to smell terrible. He quickly lost 17 pounds.

Soon after, Thompson, 60, began suffering severe stomach pains. His condition worsened further during a trip to Georgia, when he reached the fourth day without a bowel movement. The pain was so bad, he said, that friends had to take him home as he couldn't risk taking the return flight.

He also blames the drug for later developing pancreatitis, which required surgery to remove the gallbladder.

"I felt like I was a chemo patient," he said. "I couldn't stand the smell of food."

Thompson and other Tampa Bay residents are among thousands who have joined a massive legal action against Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, a similar drug used for obesity. The lawsuit claims the company failed to warn patients that Ozempic, hailed as a miracle drug for those battling diabetes and obesity, causes gastroparesis, also known as stomach paralysis.

Both Wegovy and Ozempic work by tricking the body into feeling full. This is achieved through a compound known as semaglutide, which mimics the GLP-1 hormone produced by the body when eating. They also slow the progress of food through the digestive system.

In September, the Food and Drug Administration updated Ozempic's labeling to add ileus, a temporary condition when the intestines stop working properly and cannot move food and waste out of the body, as a reported adverse reaction to the drug. There is no warning for gastroparesis.

Three recent preliminary studies found that patients using GLP-1 drugs are at a higher risk for gastroparesis, according to a CNN report.

GLP-1 drugs have grown in popularity in recent years with Medicare paying $5.7 billion in 2022 for three popular brands, according to research from KFF. About one in eight Americans have taken GLP-1 drugs, according to a KFF survey.

These patients were put at risk by Novo Nordisk, which should have known about the risks to the gastrointestinal system, said Andrew Van Arsdale, a managing partner of AVA Law Group, which represents about two thousand drug users.

"There are some very dangerous side effects and these manufacturers have an obligation to put patients, consumers, doctors in the best position they can to do the risk-benefit analysis of taking that product," he said. "That's all we're looking for here."

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With 18 lawsuits filed in 11 judicial districts, the legal challenge is continuing through a single test case filed on behalf of a Michigan woman who says in the lawsuit that she was hospitalized on Jan. 4 for extreme pain, vomiting and gastric paralysis that required an endoscopic examination. procedure. She was also given painkillers for an inflamed esophagus.

Novo Nordisk disputes the allegations in the lawsuit and said in a company statement to the Tampa Bay Times that it plans to contest the cases. GLP-1 drugs have been used to treat type 2 diabetes for more than 18 years, and to treat obesity for 8 years, it said.

"Novo Nordisk stands by the safety and efficacy of all our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional," the statement said.