Semaglutide Lawsuit

Semaglutide is a type of diabetes medicine that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the drug for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. As a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), semaglutide increases insulin production. This helps decrease the amount of sugar that enters the bloodstream.

The FDA currently has approved three forms of semaglutide:

• Ozempic, for treatment of type 2 diabetes
• Rybelsus, for treatment of type 2 diabetes
• Wegovy, for chronic weight management

Novo Nordisk manufactures all three forms of the drug. Ozempic and Wegovy are injections that patients take once a week. Rybelsus is a tablet that patients take daily. Doctors prescribe dosages and timeframes based on each patient’s condition and tolerance for the medication.

Semaglutide as a weight loss medication

Semaglutide has become a popular weight loss medication. Wegovy is FDA-approved to help people struggling with weight-related conditions. Doctors may also prescribe Ozempic and Rybelsus for off-label use to help people lose weight.

The FDA recommends that patients supplement all semaglutide medications with exercise and diet changes to achieve the best results.

Semaglutide drugs Ozempic and Wegovy were on the FDA’s drug shortage list for several years. The diabetes medication shortage was likely linked to its popularity as a weight loss treatment. A compounded version of the medicine — made with semaglutide and other ingredients — was made available for some patients to combat the shortage. The compounded version of semaglutide may also be dangerous, but is not involved in the lawsuits against the manufacturers.

All medicines may cause side effects. But semaglutide drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may carry additional risks beyond the ones listed on the drugs’ warning labels. Some reports allege people have experienced the following health problems after taking semaglutide:

• Vision changes or loss (not on the warning label)
• Necrotizing pancreatitis (not on the warning label)
• Ileus (added to the warning label in September 2023)
• Intestinal obstructions (not on the warning label)
• Gastroenteritis (not on the warning label)
• Gastroparesis, also called stomach paralysis (not on the warning label)
• Gallbladder disease (added to the warning label in March 2022)
• Intraoperative pulmonary aspiration (not on the warning label)
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) (not on the warning label)

People who experienced these side effects are filing semaglutide lawsuits. Lawsuits against drug manufacturers can help people receive money to pay for medical expenses, increase labeling requirements and even prevent other people from experiencing similar harms.

Potential dangers of compounded semaglutide

While the compounded versions of Semaglutide drugs are legal, they do not have FDA approval like the non-compounded versions do. Keep in mind, these drugs are not eligible for GLP-1 lawsuits. The FDA has said that it “has received adverse event reports after patients used compounded semaglutide.”

One report in the Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association found severe adverse effects for three people who took compounded semaglutide. The patients who took the compounded semaglutide experienced a number of side effects, including:

• Abdominal pain
• Anorexia
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weakness

For all three people, their symptoms persisted for days after taking the compounded semaglutide.

The FDA has expressed concerns that compounding pharmacies are fulfilling orders using semaglutide salts—variations on the semaglutide formulation approved by the FDA for Ozempic and Wegovy. In a letter to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, the FDA warned that the agency has not evaluated semaglutide acetate or semaglutide sodium—two types of semaglutide salts—for safety or efficacy. It also noted that the use of semaglutide salts may be a violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

If you’ve received compounded semaglutide and are concerned you may be experiencing an adverse reaction, please seek immediate medical attention. Do not stop taking a prescribed medication without speaking to a medical professional first.

If you or a loved one have experienced side effects that you believe are related to semaglutide, you may be able to seek justice through a semaglutide lawsuit. The following semaglutide lawsuits are currently pending:

Semaglutide lawsuits in federal courts

People are suing Novo Nordisk for side effects they allegedly experienced after taking its semaglutide products, Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. These side effects may include those not included on either drug’s warning label.

Our law firm has filed a lawsuit for a Pennsylvania woman who was hospitalized for gastroparesis after taking Wegovy. Learn more about her case here.

Many of the lawsuits are part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) involving other similar medications called GLP-1 RAs. Defendants in the MDL include Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy. Another defendant is Eli Lilly, which makes Trulicity®, Zepbound® and Mounjaro®. All MDL cases involve patients who took one or more GLP-1 RA medications and experienced severe unlisted side effects.

If you or a family member have experienced a similar reaction after taking a semaglutide product, reach out to one of our attorneys to find out about the legal options you may have.

Semaglutide class action lawsuit

As of February 2025, there is no class action lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the sole manufacturer of semaglutide in the U.S.

Instead, people who believe they’ve been harmed by unlisted side effects of semaglutide may consider filing an individual lawsuit against Novo Nordisk. The drug manufacturer is currently facing multidistrict litigation (MDL) filed in federal district court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

These lawsuits allege Novo Nordisk failed to warn patients about the risks of taking Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs.

Our medical attorneys have represented thousands of patients seriously hurt by dangerous prescription and over-the-counter drugs. We understand that as a patient or family member, what you know about your or a loved one’s medications may be limited.

If you believe a medicine made you sick or hurt you, our attorneys have the resources needed to thoroughly investigate and:

• Identify potentially harmful medicines
• Review if the medicine hurt you
• Review the medicine manufacturer’s compliance with FDA regulations
• Examine the adequacy of the manufacturer’s warning to you about potential side effects
• Recognize other issues that could affect your potential claim

Learn more about our medical drug litigation experience here.

Do not stop taking a prescribed medication without first consulting with your doctor. Discontinuing a prescribed medication without your doctor’s advice can result in injury or death. Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Zepbound and Mounjaro drugs remain approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.