Lawsuit Blames Ozempic, Mounjaro, Trulicity for Gastroparesis Diagnosis

Debilitating stomach paralysis side effects led to hospitalization of Louisiana woman who was prescribed the GLP-1 medications by her physician.

An increasingly popular class of diabetes and weight loss drugs continue to come under fire by users who say that, while effective, the manufacturers should have warned the public and doctors about the potential gastrointestinal health risks, which can lead to severe side effects.

On August 12, Antwilla Wise became one of the most recent patients to file a complaint (PDF), indicating her use of Ozempic, Mounjaro and Trulicity led to severe stomach paralysis injuries. The lawsuit was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, naming Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Company as the defendants.

Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists like the drugs prescribed to Wise have surged in popularity due to their weight loss benefits in recent years. However, the medications have also been linked to various health concerns, such as gastroparesis, also known as stomach paralysis, and intestinal obstruction.

Nearly 2,000 GLP-1 lawsuits have now been filed by former users throughout the U.S., each raising similar allegations that the drug manufacturers placed a desire for profits before the health and safety of users, but withholding critical risk and safety information from the warning labels.

Wise, of Louisiana, indicates she was prescribed Trulicity from about June 2021 to April 2023. Then, she was prescribed Ozempic from April 2023 to July 2024, and Mounjaro from June 2024 to September 2024.

The lawsuit claims that use of the three drugs led to stomach paralysis, also known as gastroparesis, which left Wise with debilitating nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, resulting in emergency medical care and hospitalization.

Her complaint argues that the manufacturers should have known about the gastrointestinal risks, particularly since one of the primary mechanisms of action delays gastric emptying to keep the recipient feeling full longer.

“In contrast to naturally-occurring GLP-1, which has a short life and is quickly metabolized by enzymes, GLP-1 RAs are engineered to last longer… GLP1 RAs such as semaglutide (Ozempic) have a long half-life of well over 100 hours, causing the drugs to stay in the body for a month or more after the last dose.”

–Antwilla Wise v. Novo Nordisk et al

Wise indicates both companies were irresponsible in the marketing of their drugs, placing profit over patient safety when deciding not to put stomach paralysis on the warning label. She presents claims of inadequate warning and breach of express warranty, seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

GLP-1 Stomach Paralysis Lawsuits

The complaint will be consolidated with similar Mounjaro lawsuits, Ozempic lawsuits and Trulicity lawsuits in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which have been centralized as part of a GLP-1 MDL (multidistrict litigation) before U.S. District Judge Karen Marston, who is guiding the litigation through coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings.

To help test how juries may respond to certain evidence and testimony that will be central throughout thousands of individual claims, Judge Marston is presiding over coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings to prepare a small group of cases for early trial dates.

On August 13, Judge Marston issued a court order (PDF) scheduling monthly status conferences through April 2026, with the next conference scheduled for September 30. These meetings will keep the Court updated on the preparedness of the first potential bellwether trials.

While the outcomes of these early test cases will not be binding on other claims, they will be closely watched and may help the parties negotiate GLP-1 settlements to resolve large numbers of lawsuits in the future.

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