A woman is taking the makers of Ozempic to court over claims the company behind the drug knew it would cause her stomach problems.
Caren Elosua has filed a suit against the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk claiming the weight loss drugs have been causing stomach problems for users.
In court documents, obtained by TMZ, Elosua says that even with the alleged side effects in mind, she was still given Ozempic to help her type-2 diabetes.
The outlet reported the Elosua started taking a 1ml of the drug in April of 2021, and increased it to 2ml a few years after this.
By the end of last year, she claims she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, the weakening of the stomach muscles, claiming the weight loss drug caused it.
Ozempic has FDA approval as a diabetes drug but it has been prescribed off label for weight loss to millions of Americans
Caren Elosua has filed a suit against the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, their HQ is seen here, claiming the weight loss drugs have been causing stomach problems for users
Elosua claims she suffered from headaches, vomiting, cramping and severe stomach pain and decided to go see a specialist.
The gastroenterologist, she claims, informed her that her stomach muscles had gotten so weak that she couldn’t digest food.
In late January, Elosua claims she had her last shot of Ozempic but added that by this point the alleged damage had been done.
Elosua also claims in her suit that she had to be hospitalized due to the constant pain which tore up her abdominal area.
In her suit, she alleges that Novo Nordisk knew this drug would cause her such problems and they continued to manufacture it.
Elosua is not alone in her claims, with patients across America filing suits against Novo Nordisk saying they experienced extreme side effects with the drug.
Most of the patients, like Elosua, claim they suffered from gastroparesis, which is the medical name for paralysis of the stomach.
The condition, which can be life-threatening, causes a build-up of food in the gut and symptoms include nausea, vomiting and severe pain.
A pharmacist holds a box of Novo Nordisk A/S Ozempic brand semaglutide medication arranged at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, US, on Monday, Nov. 27, 2023
In a review of a dozen lawsuits carried out by DailyMail.com in January of this year, nearly all of the lawsuits accuse of Novo Nordisk of failing to warn them of the risks.
At least ten lawsuits have also been filed against Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, a diabetes drug which works in a similar way to Ozempic and Wegovy and is also prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Eli Lilly is also accused of failing to include proper warnings about Mounjaro’s risks.
In one case, a woman who used Ozempic and Mounjaro claims she was diagnosed with gastroparesis which caused her to vomit so much that some of her teeth feel out.
In another, a woman was diagnosed with a ‘life-threatening bowel injury’ after using Ozempic and underwent surgery which last nearly nine hours. Doctors said she would be in pain ‘for the rest of her life’ and ‘will never have a solid bowel movement again’.
A third case brought by a woman who used Wegovy claims she was diagnosed with ‘severe gastroparesis’ and was hospitalized with symptoms including going a week without bowel movement.
Ozempic has FDA approval for the treatment of type 2 diabetes but has been prescribed off-label for weight loss to millions of Americans.
Mounjaro also has approval for diabetes but can also be prescribed off label for weight loss.
Elosua is not alone in her claims, with patients across America filing suits against Novo Nordisk saying they experienced extreme side effects with the drug
Zakareeya Gregory was hospitalized for four weeks and had her gallbladder removed because of complications which were allegedly caused by her use of Ozempic
Zakareeya Gregory, 46, from Walker Mill, Maryland, told DailyMail.com that her gallbladder was removed after she suffered side effects which were allegedly caused by Ozempic, which she used for seven months until February 2020.
Gregory, who was prescribed Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes, said Ozempic initially helped her drop from 220lb to 170lb and lowered her blood sugar, while only causing minor complications such as stomach pain.
The severe side effects like extreme stomach pain started ‘all of a sudden’ at the end of 2022, more than two years after she stopped taking Ozempic. Her legal complaint said she also used Rybelsus, a tablet form of the drug also made by Novo Nordisk, for a period of time during 2022.
Gregory was taken to the emergency room in December, where scans revealed an issue with her gallbladder, which surgeons removed during her four-week hospital stay.
‘I went home with a tube in my side that I had to keep changing [for] drainage. I kept that in for maybe like two weeks,’ said Gregory, who also needed a blood transfusion.
‘It was very horrible, it was horrible to have your gallbladder taken out. I never thought I would have to have my gallbladder taken out. I never had any issues with that. It was a dramatic change in my life.’
Brea said that doctors said she almost died because of the complications which were allegedly caused by Ozempic. She said she was not warned about the side effects
Brea Hand, 23, told DailyMail.com she required five hospital visits before doctors diagnosed her with gastroparesis which was allegedly caused by Ozempic
Brea Hand, 23, from Ponca City, Oklahoma, told DailyMail.com that she started using Ozempic in May 2023 and within weeks began to suffer from nausea, vomiting and constipation.
Hand, a mother-of-two who was prescribed the drug to control her fluctuating weight and pre-diabetes, required five hospital visits before physicians diagnosed her with gastroparesis and diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening.
On her final hospital visit, she was admitted to intensive care.
‘They said my body was so acidotic that if I would have waited one more day that I wouldn’t have made it through,’ said Hand, whose lawsuit was filed on December 28.
‘It was scary. It was painful. I have not ever experienced that kind of pain in my entire life and I do not ever want to go through that again.’
Hand, a behavior science student, said she was not made aware of the side effects she suffered and wants to warn others about the risks of Ozempic.
‘I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody, personally. Just taking that risk would be too much for me from what I went through. I think they should definitely advertise more of the risks it does have.’
DailyMail.com has approached Novo Nordisk for comment.