Woman will suffer diarrhea forever after 'Ozempic caused life-threatening bowel injury’
A woman who took Ozempic has alleged that the drug left her with side effects that she'll suffer with for the rest of her life.
Created to help those with type 2 diabetes, Ozempic been found that people without the condition are also using it in a bid to become slimmer.
And some celebrities, such as Sharon Osbourne, have openly admitted to using Ozempic to lose weight, while others, like Jessica Simpson, have denied using it.
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While it seems to work for some, others have alleged that the drug left with them debilitating side effects.
And according to The Daily Mail, dozens have reportedly filed lawsuits against Novo Nordisk - the creator of Ozempic.
One unnamed plaintiff was reportedly diagnosed with a 'life-threatening bowel injury' after taking Ozempic, resulting in her having to undergo a nine-hour surgery.
According to a lawsuit, doctors said she would be in pain 'for the rest of her life' and 'will never have a solid bowel movement again'.
Robin Kelly also filed a suit against the firm in her hometown of Mississippi in November 2023.
Kelly claims that she fell seriously ill with gastroparesis after using Ozempic, and that she wasn't warned of the potential side effect.
The 49-year-old started taking the drug in December 2021 and, within weeks of doing so, says she became violently ill.
She was prescribed Ozempic to treat her type 1 diabetes, despite it only having the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval to treat type 2.
Following a trip to the emergency room while taking Ozempic, Kelly was diagnosed with gastroparesis (paralysis of the stomach) and stopped taking it in September 2022.
"The worst thing that it did for me was caused me almost to lose my job, because I was so sick with it that I could not go to work. I was so physically ill that I could not go to work," Kelly told the Daily Mail.
"There were days that I would go to work, I would try and go to work, stay at work. And I couldn't and the reason why [was] because I would be at work and I would soil my clothes."
Her lawsuit also alleges that she suffered 'severe and permanent personal injuries, pain, suffering, and emotional distress, and incurred medical expenses'.
While Kelly has long been off Ozempic, she says she still suffers 'flare ups' of gastroparesis.
In a previous comment to UNILAD, the FDA said: "The FDA maintains that the benefits of Ozempic outweigh its risks when used according to the approved labeling."
And in a prior statement, they said that just because Ozempic was present when an effect is observed, doesn't mean that the ill-effect is the result of Ozempic.
In a statement to The Daily Mail, the FDA said it did not comment on 'possible, pending or ongoing litigation' but said that they monitor drugs 'throughout their life cycle, including post-approval'.
Adding: "If newly identified safety signals are identified, the FDA will determine what actions are appropriate after a thorough review of the body of evidence."
UNILAD has contacted the FDA and Novo Nordisk for further comment.
Elsewhere, in a statement to UNILAD, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk said: "Novo Nordisk believes that the allegations in the lawsuit are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims. Patient safety is our top priority at Novo Nordisk, and we work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continuously monitor the safety profile of our medicines.
"GLP-1 medicines have been used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) for more than 18 years, and for the treatment of obesity for 8 years. This includes Novo Nordisk GLP-1 products such as semaglutide and liraglutide that have been on the market for more than 13 years.
"Semaglutide 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. The known risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labeling. Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional."
Niamh Shackleton