JPML Centralizes Ozempic Gastroparesis Lawsuits

The nationally recognized mass tort law firm Levin Papantonio Rafferty (LPR) announces that the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) today created a multidistrict litigation (MDL No. 3094) for IN RE: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAs) Products Liability Litigation. 

The JPML issued a Transfer Order to centralize lawsuits alleging that manufacturers of diabetes and weight-loss drugs, like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, failed to adequately warn patients and doctors of the risk of dangerous gastrointestinal side effects. 

Fifty-five pending actions and future tag-along cases will be transferred to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for the purpose of consolidating pretrial hearings. The MDL has been assigned to the Honorable Gene E. K. Pratter.

The actions in the newly formed MDL (No. 3094) "involve common questions of fact, and...centralization in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania will serve the convenience of the parties and witnesses and promote the just and efficient conduct of this litigation," the Transfer Order states. 

LPR Attorney Cameron Stephenson is representing claimants in GLP-1 RA lawsuits on behalf of the law firm. The firm has hundreds of cases currently ripe for filing in the newly created MDL and is investigating more than 1,000 others.

"While the efficacy of these drugs is great, the off-label marketing and promotion for unindicated use is rampant--like I've never seen," Stephenson said. 

Defendants in these actions include Novo Nordisk, manufacturer of Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy; and Eli Lilly, maker of Mounjaro and Trulicity.

Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 RAs. All three drugs share the same common active ingredient: semaglutide.

This class of prescription drug is used to control high blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The medication mimics a natural human glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) to slow the passing of food through the stomach.

Plaintiffs in the GLP-1 RAs lawsuits allege they took these medications for rapid weight loss and then developed gastroparesis, sometimes referred to as stomach paralysis. 

Gastroparesis is an incurable medical condition in which the patient’s stomach does not empty properly. 

The condition can lead to multiple complications, including dehydration from repeated vomiting, malnutrition from poor nutrient absorption, difficulty controlling blood sugar levels, and blockage, which can be life-threatening.

"I predict that we are just beginning to understand the permanency that could be associated with these injuries," Stephenson said.

Cameron Stephenson is a shareholder at Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty. His current practice is primarily focused in Mass Tort pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He is actively involved in several pending multidistrict litigations (MDLs), including Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder/Ovarian Cancer (MDL No. 2738) and Proton Pump Inhibitor/Kidney Disease (MDL No. 2789).

The Levin Papantonio Rafferty law firm has been representing injured people across the globe since 1955. The firm has gained national recognition as one of the most successful personal injury firms in the world and has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, as well as Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Time Magazine, Forbes, and National Law Journal.

LPR attorneys handle lawsuits throughout the country and have earned more than $40 billion in jury verdicts and settlements, litigating against some of the largest corporations in the world.

For questions about the firm’s legal practice, call 1 (800) 277-1193.