Pharmaceutical companies behind popular weight loss drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, are potentially facing a wave of lawsuits from patients who claim to have suffered debilitating side effects from the medications. These side effects range from stomach paralysis to tearing holes in the food pipe. The lawsuits allege that patients were not adequately warned about these complications by the drug manufacturers, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk.

One woman, Meredith Hotchkiss, shared her harrowing experience after taking Mounjaro, stating that she developed life-threatening stomach paralysis and has now joined a massive lawsuit against its manufacturer. She fears she may never be able to eat a solid meal again. Another patient attributed her need to have her gallbladder removed to the use of Ozempic, while a third person claimed the drug caused violent vomiting that resulted in a hole in her esophagus.

Law firm Robert Peirce & Associates estimates that the number of plaintiffs could reach as high as 10,000, noting a surge of multidistrict litigation (MDL) cases related to these weight loss injections. MDL is a legal procedure in which multiple civil cases with similar issues are combined into one. As of June 3, there are already 101 pending cases in the Ozempic MDL alone.

These weight loss drugs, which contain semaglutide or tirzepatide as active ingredients, mimic hormones that help suppress hunger and reduce food intake. While some drugs are approved for weight loss alone, others are intended for managing type 2 diabetes but can be prescribed off-label for weight loss purposes.

Aside from the lawsuits, patients have also reported additional adverse effects such as suicidal thoughts, psychosis, and appearance issues. The law firm representing the plaintiffs criticized the drug manufacturers for their alleged failure to provide sufficient warning about associated risks.

These lawsuits come after a host of complaints were filed in February, alleging that drugs like Ozempic led to gastrointestinal injuries and stomach paralysis, among other complications. The number of cases filed in the MDL is expected to increase, with law firms, including Moll Law Group and Levin Papantonio Rafferty, considering adding hundreds, if not thousands, of cases to the litigation.

The drug companies have not yet added warnings about the risk of gastroparesis and stomach paralysis to their labels, according to attorneys representing the affected patients. They argue that patient safety should be the top priority for these pharmaceutical companies.

In response to the allegations, Eli Lilly emphasized their commitment to patient safety and stated that their FDA-approved labels clearly caution about the gastrointestinal adverse reactions associated with their medications.

As the number of potential lawsuits continues to rise, patients affected by the alleged side effects of these weight loss drugs seek accountability and fair compensation for the hardships they have endured.