GLP-1 Diabetes Drugs Linked to Increased Risk of Kidney Side Effects

Researchers from Denmark say doctors should consider these findings when prescribing diabetes treatments aimed at preventing kidney disease.

According to a new study, diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro may carry a higher risk of chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury than older competitors like Invokana and Jardiance.

The findings were published in JAMA Internal Medicine on January 20, showing that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists like Ozempic carry an 8.2% higher risk of chronic kidney disease than sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors.

GLP-1 medications have seen a sharp rise in popularity in recent years following the discovery that they carry significant weight loss benefits. This has led to the release of dedicated weight loss versions of the drugs, which were originally designed as a type 2 diabetes treatment. Other drugs in the GLP-1 class include Wegovy, Zepbound, Saxenda, Byetta, Victoza, Trulicity, Rybelsus and others.

However, with the blockbuster sales have come reports of serious side effects, including gastrointestinal problems like stomach paralysis and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a rare but serious form of optic-nerve damage that can cause permanent blindness.

As a result of these findings, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly face a growing number of Ozempic lawsuits, Mounjaro lawsuits and Wegovy lawsuits, each raising similar allegations that the manufacturers’ desire for profits led to a lack of adequate testing and safety warnings.

In the new study, researchers from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, looked at data on 36,279 individuals who were first prescribed metformin, a first-line type 2 diabetes treatment, and then initiated SGLT2 or GLP-1 treatment. Led by Dr. Simon K. Jensen, the team looked for incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI).

According to the findings, 8.2% of patients who took drugs like Ozempic suffered chronic kidney disorder, compared to just 6.7% of those who took drugs like Januvia and Invokana. GLP-1 users also suffered 28.7 incidents of acute kidney injury per 100 individuals after five years, compared to 25.2 per 100 among SGLT2 users.

However, the risk of death was lower with GLP-1 medications overall, the data indicates.

The researchers determined that initiating treatment with GLP-1 medications resulted in a higher 5-year risk of CKD and AKI, indicating healthcare professionals should take this data into consideration when choosing a medication for primary prevention of kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.

GLP-1 Stomach Paralysis and Vision Loss Lawsuits

The findings come amid increased scrutiny of GLP-1 medications, including more than 3,000 product liability lawsuits, with most focusing on gastrointestinal issues like stomach paralysis. Both the GLP-1 stomach injury lawsuits and Ozempic vision loss lawsuits have been consolidated into two separate MDLs, or multidistrict litigations, being overseen by U.S. District Judge Karen Marston in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Judge Marston is leading both sets of litigation through coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings, indicating that she plans to select a small group of representative “bellwether” trials to serve as early test cases in each track. These will allow the parties to see how an actual jury may respond to evidence and testimony that would be repeated throughout thousands of similar claims.

However, before those trials can move forward, Judge Marston has ordered both sides to resolve several issues that could have broad implications for the litigation, including preemption and general causation. Once those matters are addressed, the MDLs are expected to proceed with preparing the first sets of cases for jury consideration. While the verdicts will not directly determine the outcome of other GLP-1 claims, they are likely to shape settlement negotiations.

If the parties do not reach GLP-1 settlement agreements after the bellwether trials, Judge Marston is likely to begin remanding the cases back to their original courts for individual trial dates.

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