A Louisiana woman has filed a lawsuit against the makers of Ozempic and Moujaro, claiming they have downplayed the severity of the side effects of these popular weight loss drugs.
Jaclyn Bjorklund, 44, claims she began taking Ozempic in 2022 and switched to Mounjaro in July. Lawsuit documents contend that Bjorklund suffered from severe gastrointestinal problems, including severe vomiting, "gastrointestinal burning," and hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to stomach pain.
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Ozemic, generically known as semaglutide, is produced by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2020 for the treatment of insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes.
Mounjaro, produced by Eli Lilly, is a similar medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes that received full FDA approval this May.
Both Ozemic and Mounjaro are weekly injections that have surged in popularity for their weight loss effects even though they are only approved for diabetes management.
The lawsuit alleges Bjorklund developed gastroparesis, or delayed stomach emptying, and gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the stomach lining.
Natalie Azar, a medical contributor to NBC News, told her outlet that gastroparesis is an intentional effect of both drugs to slow the digestive process and prolong feelings of fullness to prevent overeating.
"It's a side effect, if you will," Azar said, "but it's also partly the mechanism of action of how people can lose weight on these medications."
Although weight loss is not the primary goal of either Ozemic or Mounjaro, losing weight is a mechanism of long-term treatment for Type 2 diabetes.
Novo Nordisk responded to the Washington Examiner's request for comment by noting that semaglutide has been approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes for more than 15 years and "has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real world evidence studies and has cumulatively over 9.5 million patient years of exposure."
"Symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, nausea and vomiting are listed as side effects," the Novo Nordisk spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
Eli Lilly responded to the Washington Examiner's request for comment, saying, "Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority, and we actively engage in monitoring, evaluating and reporting safety information for all our medicines."
Although politicians on Capitol Hill have pushed in recent weeks for Medicare to cover medications like Ozempic and its weight loss sister product, Wegovy, as key tools in obesity medicine care, Novo Nordisk has come under investigation in Europe for the connection between semaglutide and self-injurious thoughts.
The European Medicine's Agency began investigating Ozempic in early July after two patients experienced suicidal thoughts after taking the medication. The United Kingdom's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency soon followed suit.
At that time, Novo Nordisk told the Washington Examiner that it was conducting an internal review of both Ozempic and Wegovy and would provide a response to the United Kingdom's investigation "within the requested time limits."
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"Patient safety is of utmost importance to Novo Nordisk," the company's spokesperson told the Washington Examiner about the Louisiana lawsuit.
"We recommend patients take these medications for their approved indications and under the supervision of a healthcare professional. We are continuously monitoring the safety profile of our products and collaborate closely with authorities to ensure patient safety, including adequate information on gastrointestinal side effects in the label," the Novo Nordisk spokesperson said.