Diabetes Lawsuit

GLP-1 diabetes drug and weight loss drug lawsuits address severe personal injuries associated with these medications.

GLP-1s are a class of drugs used to promote weight loss or to manage blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. They work by mimicking the body’s naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone, which triggers the body to:

• Release insulin from the pancreas
• Block secretion of glucagon, a hormone that raises the body’s blood sugars when necessary
• Slow stomach emptying
• Increase feelings of fullness (satiety) after eating

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first GLP-1 pill for treating type 2 diabetes in 2005. However, studies show that GLP-1 medications can also promote weight loss and address health complications related to obesity. These findings have caused the use and popularity of these drugs to increase significantly.

Some GLP-1s are FDA-approved for chronic weight management, and others are approved only for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Yet, data suggests many physicians prescribe GLP-1 diabetes medications for off-label weight loss promotion.

As of September 2024, more than 5% of the adult prescriptions written in the U.S. were for GLP-1 medications of some kind. The number of semaglutide GLP-1 prescriptions rose from fewer than 446,000 in 2018 to over 13.5 million in 2022.

Common brands of GLP-1 RA drugs

Brand name GLP-1 medications include:

• Mounjaro® (tirzepatide)
• Ozempic® (semaglutide)
• Rybelsus® (semaglutide)
• Saxenda® (liraglutide)
• Trulicity® (dulaglutide)
• Victoza® (liraglutide)
• Wegovy® (semaglutide)
• Zepbound® (tirzepatide)

Potential side effects of semaglutide medications

Some GLP-1 drugs have been linked to dangerous health complications. Patients who experience these health issues are filing lawsuits against Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Lawsuits claim the manufacturers failed to adequately warn patients or physicians of certain risks associated with these drugs.

Diabetes lawsuit plaintiffs allege that GLP-1 medications cause severe, life-altering and sometimes fatal health problems, including:

• Intestinal blockages or obstructions
• Ileus (a condition that prevents the bowel from moving food or waste through the intestines)
• Vision loss, including non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
• Esophageal and bowel injuries
• Gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines)
• Gastroparesis (stomach paralysis)
• Intraoperative aspiration (aspirating regurgitated food during a surgical procedure)
• Malnutrition

Patients have the right to know about the risks they’re taking with any new medications. Additionally, companies should make doctors fully aware of the dangerous side effects associated with drugs they prescribe. However, these manufacturers didn’t include many alleged side effects on GLP-1 medication labels.

If you suffered an injury from a GLP-1 medication that you weren’t warned of, you may qualify for compensation to help with medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering or some combination of all four.

Lawsuits are currently being consolidated into two multidistrict litigations (MDLs) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. As of the beginning of January 2026, there were 3,092 pending cases. Additionally, more than 30 cases have been filed in New Jersey state court.

Diabetes lawyers with Motley Rice can help patients determine if they’re eligible for weight loss and diabetes drug litigation.

Ozempic

Ozempic is a once-weekly injectable medication designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes manage their blood glucose levels. The drug has also been taken by diabetic and nondiabetic patients for weight management. The active ingredient in Ozempic is the GLP-1 semaglutide.

The FDA approved Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in December 2017. The FDA didn’t approve the drug for weight loss, but its off-label use for weight reduction has made its popularity explode in recent years.

People are bringing claims against Ozempic’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, alleging the company failed to adequately warn them of certain side effects. Patients who’ve taken Ozempic have reported health problems ranging in severity from bowel obstruction to gastroparesis to DVT. Studies have also linked semaglutide to vision loss.

Learn more about Ozempic lawsuits.

Wegovy

Wegovy is another GLP-1 medication developed by Novo Nordisk to help with chronic weight management. It’s a weekly injectable drug available in a higher dose than its sister drug, Ozempic. It is specifically approved to treat obese patients and promote weight loss. Like Ozempic, the active ingredient in Wegovy is semaglutide.

The FDA approved Wegovy for adult use in June 2021. In December 2022, it was also approved as an obesity treatment for teens age 12 and older. In addition, the FDA approved the medication in March 2024 to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events (like heart attack and stroke) in overweight and obese patients and people with cardiovascular disease.

Novo Nordisk has aggressively marketed Wegovy. The company has spent more than $25 million in the past decade to promote it and other weight loss drugs to U.S. medical professionals. Sales of Wegovy increased by more than 1,361% from July 2021 through December 2023.

However, patients have reported unexpected and severe side effects while taking Wegovy. Some patients have chosen to bring claims against Novo Nordisk. For example, one Pennsylvania woman was hospitalized for gastroparesis after taking Wegovy. She has brought a claim against the manufacturer for failing to warn consumers about risks.

Learn more about Wegovy lawsuits here.

Rybelsus

Rybelsus is another drug made by Novo Nordisk with the active ingredient semaglutide. It was approved by the FDA in 2019 to treat type 2 diabetes and was the first oral GLP-1 medication for that treatment.

Rybelsus differs from Ozempic and Wegovy because it’s not a weekly injectable. Instead, patients take Rybelsus daily by mouth 30 minutes before their first food or drink of the day.

Rybelsus is named in GLP-1 diabetes drug and weight loss medication lawsuits. Lawsuits allege that Novo Nordisk knew about severe side effects of the drug — including gastrointestinal problems, pancreatitis and acute kidney injury — and warned consumers about these issues. Plaintiffs argue the drug maker didn’t warn about other conditions, including gastroparesis, experienced by semaglutide users.

Novo Nordisk’s warnings about Rybelsus’ side effects demonstrate that the company knew semaglutide could cause serious harm. Yet, Novo Nordisk continued to develop new semaglutide medications (Wegovy) and aggressively market others (Ozempic).

Learn more about Rybelsus lawsuits.

Saxenda

Saxenda is a weight management and obesity drug. It’s an injectable medication made by Novo Nordisk with the active ingredient liraglutide.

Liraglutide is another GLP-1. Its development and release proceeds semaglutide. The FDA approved Saxenda for treating obesity in adults in December 2014. In December 2020, the FDA approved it for use in teens age 12 to 17.

Saxenda users must inject the GLP-1 daily, and the dosage is larger than that of semaglutide drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Saxenda is also less effective. In clinical trials, patients on Saxenda lost 5% of their body weight, while patients on Ozempic lost 15%.

Potential side effects of Saxenda include acute pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease, development of thyroid T-cell tumors (thyroid cancer) and suicidal thoughts. Like other GLP-1s, Saxenda may also cause delayed stomach emptying, resulting in gastroparesis. The drug’s label doesn’t warn about this potential side effect.

Lawsuit plaintiffs have experienced severe gastrointestinal injuries after using Saxenda. They allege Novo Nordisk didn’t inform them about this risk.

Learn more about Saxenda lawsuits.

Victoza

Victoza is a predecessor to Saxenda and is also made and marketed by Novo Nordisk. Like Saxenda, its active ingredient is liraglutide. It was FDA-approved for diabetes treatment in adults in 2010 and approved for children age 10 and over in 2019. It was approved in 2017 to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in diabetes patients.

Patients must inject Victoza daily. Its dosage is slightly different from Saxenda’s.

Potential Victoza side effects include acute kidney injury, pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease and the development of thyroid T-cell tumors. Studies suggest that liraglutide and other GLP-1 drugs increase the risk of gastroparesis and intestinal blockage. Victoza’s manufacturer didn’t warn about gastrointestinal injuries, and the drug is part of the GLP-1 MDL.

Learn more about Victoza lawsuits.

Mounjaro

Mounjaro is another GLP-1 medication included in diabetes lawsuits. Mounjaro is made by Novo Nordisk’s competitor, Eli Lilly. Its active ingredient is tirzepatide.

The FDA approved Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes treatment in 2022. It is a once-weekly injectable.

Side effects listed on Mounjaro’s label include the development of thyroid T-cell tumors, pancreatitis, acute gallbladder disease and diabetic retinopathy (RA), which can cause vision loss and blindness.

Diabetes lawsuit plaintiffs have also suffered severe health complications not included on Mounjaro’s label. Mounjaro has been associated with conditions Eli Lilly didn’t inform patients about, including deep vein thrombosis (DTV), gastroparesis, ileus and bowel injury.

Learn more about Mounjaro lawsuits here.

Zepbound

Zepbound is another brand name for tirzepatide. It is Eli Lilly’s FDA-approved drug for weight loss. It’s essentially the same medication as Mounjaro and is administered in the same manner, frequency and dosage.

Zepbound is one of the newest GLP-1 drugs for weight management. It wasn’t approved by the FDA until November 2023. In August 2024, Eli Lilly announced it would make the medication available to patients without insurance. Consumers with an on-label prescription can now buy single-dose vials of Zepbound at around half the price of other GLP-1 obesity drugs.

Zepbound is included in the weight loss medication and diabetes drug MDL. Plaintiffs complain of the same dangerous side effects associated with Zepbound’s sister medication, Mounjaro.

Learn more about Zepbound lawsuits.

Trulicity

Eli Lilly also makes and markets Trulicity. The active GLP-1 in this medication is dulaglutide. The FDA approved it in 2014 to control blood sugar in patients with diabetes. In 2020, it was approved to help decrease the risk of stroke and heart attack in adults without established cardiovascular disease.

Trulicity is also a once-weekly injectable, but it has different dosage recommendations than Mounjaro and Zepbound. Even though Trulicity isn’t approved to promote weight loss, sales of the drug indicate widespread off-label use. The increased popularity of GLP-1s for off-label weight reduction has led to shortages of Trulicity and similar diabetes medications.

Plaintiffs in Trulicity lawsuits say they have suffered severe health issues after taking GLP-1s. These include blood clots, DVT, gallbladder disease, gastroenteritis, ileus, intestinal obstruction and intraoperative pulmonary aspiration. Eli Lilly didn’t include warnings about these conditions on Trulicity’s label. Users have also experienced vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy. Eli Lilly didn’t include this side effect on the drug’s warning label until 2020.

Read more about Trulicity lawsuits here.

Glucose monitoring systems help diabetic patients monitor their blood glucose levels on demand. The Dexcom G6 glucose monitoring system is an implantable sensor that sends blood glucose data to an app on the patient’s phone.

Thousands of patients have alerted the FDA to faulty readings and alert failures with the Dexcom G6 system. Inexact glucose monitoring can have serious repercussions for diabetic patients. Patients negatively affected by the G6 system are filing lawsuits against Dexcom.

Learn more about Dexcom G6 lawsuits here.

Patients use insulin pump devices to help manage their insulin levels. The pumps are supposed to deliver programmed amounts of insulin into a patient’s body.

However, recent defects with several models of MiniMed™ insulin pumps have led to incorrect amounts of insulin delivery. Improper insulin dosages can cause serious side effects for diabetic patients. Patients affected by the defective pumps are filing lawsuits against the manufacturer, Medtronic.

A diabetes lawyer can help patients determine if they’re eligible to bring a claim against Medtronic.

Learn more about MiniMed insulin pump lawsuits.

Our medical attorneys have represented thousands of patients seriously hurt by dangerous prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and medical devices. Our experience includes helping victims of proton pump inhibitors and other devices and drugs, in addition to representing patients in the above cases.

We understand that as a patient or family member, you may have limited knowledge of the medications you or your loved one is taking.

If you believe a GLP-1 medication, faulty glucose monitoring system or defective insulin pump made you sick or hurt you, our diabetes attorneys have the resources needed to thoroughly investigate and:

• Identify potentially harmful medicines and devices
• Review whether the medicine or device is linked to your injury
• Review the 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