Patients who use the drugs Ozempic (semaglutide) or Wegovy (liraglutide) for weight loss are significantly more likely to develop a number of serious gastrointestinal problems, according to a recent study published in JAMA. 

According to the study by researchers from the University of British Columbia, patients who were prescribed Ozempic or Wegovy to lose weight were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with serious stomach conditions, including gastroparesis (“frozen stomach”) and bowel obstructions. 

Increased Risk of Gastroparesis, Bowel Obstruction With Ozempic, Wegovy 

Researchers who conducted the study analyzed the health insurance records of 16 million patients in the U.S. who had been prescribed either Ozempic or Wegovy to help them lose weight between 2006 and 2020. The scientists compared these patients to others who had been prescribed the weight loss drug bupropion-naltrexone during that same period. 

Based on this data, the researchers found that patients who had used Ozempic or Wegovy were more than three times more likely to be diagnosed with gastroparesis. Also known as stomach paralysis or “frozen stomach”, gastroparesis is a potentially life-threatening gastrointestinal condition that can cause food to become trapped in the body’s small intestines.  

Researchers also found that patients taking Ozempic or Wegovy for weight loss were more than four times more likely to develop bowel obstructions, a condition in which the body’s intestines are unable to properly move food through the bowels to the stomach. 

Although previous studies have linked Ozempic and Wegovy to an increased risk of gastroparesis and bowel obstructions, the JAMA study is the first that has examined the risk of stomach problems associated with these drugs exclusively in weight loss patients. 

Lawsuits Against Ozempic, Other Weight Loss-Diabetes Drugs

Thousands of patients who were prescribed Ozempic or Wegovy – or other weight loss and diabetes drugs such as Mounjaro, Rybelsus, Saxenda, or Trulicity – have filed lawsuits against the manufacturers of these medications after developing gastroparesis, bowel obstructions, or other serious gastrointestinal side effects. 

These lawsuits have alleged that the manufacturers of this class of medications – known as GLP-1 receptor agonists – failed to properly warn weight loss and diabetes patients about the risk of gastroparesis, bowel obstructions, and other potentially fatal gastrointestinal issues they could face by taking drugs such as Ozempic. 

According to data recently released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic have been linked to at least 162 deaths and thousands of hospitalizations over the past several years. Many of these deaths were linked to serious gastrointestinal problems such as those identified in the recent JAMA study. 

Contact Our Law Firm to Start Your Claim Today 

If you or a loved one were prescribed Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus, Saxenda, Trulicity, or Wegovy for weight loss or diabetes and were diagnosed with gastroparesis or other serious stomach problems, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the makers of these medications and receive compensation for your injury. 

Our law firm, Hissey Mulderig & Friend, is currently representing patients who were diagnosed with severe gastrointestinal complications such as gastroparesis after taking diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic. 

To start the process of filing your claim today, contact the lawyers at Hissey Mulderig & Friend for a free legal consultation to find out if you qualify to take legal action.  

You can reach us by calling our law office toll-free at 1-866-806-8117, or by filling out our free claims submission form located at the top of this page.