Reviewed by Mazie Slater’s experienced medical drug lawyer, who specializes in GLP-1s [David A. Mazie – Managing Partner of Mazie Slater Katz & Freeman]

Have you been diagnosed with NAION, or experienced optic nerve damage, loss of visual field, significant vision impairment, or blindness, significant intestinal and/or stomach complications, including but not limited to gastroparesis (paralysis of the stomach) and ileus after taking a GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) commonly called Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Trulicity, Saxenda, Victoza, or Rybelsus, or Zepbound?  If so, you may be entitled to compensation.

Clinical reports and peer-reviewed studies have linked several popular GLP-1 medications to serious gastrointestinal and vision-related complications, including gastroparesis, bowel obstruction, non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), and optic nerve damage. These injuries have been documented in patients using both FDA-approved diabetes treatments and medications prescribed for weight loss. The following drugs have been identified in connection with these serious disorders:

Some of the medications that have been linked to these serious disorders include:

Several studies have now linked Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) to a condition that blocks blood flow to the nerves of the eye, causing vision loss known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy or (NAION)..

Harvard doctors began investigating Ozempic, which is officially approved for diabetes treatment, in 2023, after three patients taking the drug were diagnosed with the condition in one week. In the Harvard study, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, the researchers analyzed data from over 16,000 patients using Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy. Over three years, 8.9 percent of people with diabetes who were taking the drug developed NAION, compared with 1.8 percent of people who were taking other drugs.

In another study, University of Utah researchers reported that several people who took either Semaglutide or Tirzepatide (the active ingredients in Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro and Zepbound) later developed eye conditions, including NAION and other conditions that can cause partial blindness.

If you have been diagnosed with NAION or developed vision loss or blindness after taking these weight loss medications, contact us today for a free consultation.

A new study published in Jama Ophthalmology has found that after six months of use GLP-1 receptor agonists (RA) are associated with double the risk of older people with diabetes developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration compared with similar patients not taking the drugs. Macular Degeneration is a progressive eye disease affecting the center of the retina (macula), causing central vision loss over time. Patients who had been taking GLP-1 RAs for more than 30 months had more than three times the risk. Diabetic patients who were older and/or had had a stroke had an even higher risk of developing macular degeneration if they were on these drugs, the authors found.

If you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration after taking GLP-1 RAs for at least 6 months, contact us today for a free consultation.

A recent case report published in January 2024 discussed Semaglutide’s (the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) known gastrointestinal adverse effects, and highlighted “the need [for medical providers] to recognize medication-induced gastroparesis as a possible diagnosis, especially in individuals with risk factors.”

The weight loss and diabetes drug lawyers here at Mazie Slater are investigating claims of serious side effects and complications in people who utilized certain glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist (RA) medications for diabetes and weight loss. Our investigation indicates that the pharmaceutical manufacturers of these medications, including Novo Nordisk, failed to adequately warn of these severe intestinal and stomach complications that can be caused by these drugs, causing severe and permanent injuries in many people.  Novo Nordisk is headquartered in New Jersey, where Mazie Slater is based.

Serious side effects and complications of these weight loss and diabetic medications may include:

People who were treated in the emergency room, hospitalized or treated by a gastroenterologist, due to gastroparesis or bowel obstruction, who were diagnosed with ileus or pancreatitis or who aspirated during surgery or while under anesthesia after using one of these drugs may be eligible for compensation.

In October 2023, The Journal of the American Medical Association(JAMA), examined adverse events in patients with diabetes associated with GLP-1 RA in a research letter called “Risk of Gastrointestinal Adverse Events Associated With Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists for Weight Loss” where it concluded that studies have found increased risks of gastrointestinal adverse events, such as biliary disease, pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis.

Additionally, A recent report from CNN discussed that patients aren’t just experiencing minor stomach symptoms due to some of these weight loss drugs; their stomachs are apparently completely paralyzed. After a year of taking Ozempic injections, both patients reportedly became extremely ill, including symptoms of severe vomiting and an inability to eat. They were eventually diagnosed with severe gastroparesis, or “paralyzed stomachs.”

If you or a loved one was prescribed a GLP-1, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Saxenda, or Victoza, Mounjaro, or Zepbound from a doctor that was purchased from a retail pharmacy and have suffered significant, permanent stomach or intestinal issues, or blindness or vision loss due to NAION, you may have a claim. Mazie Slater is based in New Jersey, the same state where Novo Nordisk is based. Contact our Ozempic Lawyers today for a free consultation.

We are not investigating claims on behalf of people who purchased unbranded versions of these medications made at a compounding pharmacy, which are often sold by “med spas” or other types of “health clinics.”