Mounjaro Stomach Paralysis Risks Higher Than Other Diabetes Drugs, Review Finds

The study also linked diabetes drugs like Invokana, Farxiga and Jardiance to more than three times the risk of genital infections, as well as ketoacidosis and limb amputation risks.

As hundreds of individuals move forward with gastroparesis lawsuits against the makers of Mounjaro, Ozempic and similar diabetes drugs, a new study highlights the extent of risks these drugs pose, indicating that Mounjaro may pose the greatest risk of stomach paralysis.

Chinese researchers published the findings in The BMJ on August 14, after looking at a variety of medications used to treat type 2 diabetes, and linking some of the most serious gastrointestinal issues to a popular new class of drugs, known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which include Mounjaro, Ozempic, Trulicity and others.

While the drugs were originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, use of the treatments has exploded in popularity over the past few years due to their weight loss benefits.

However, over the past few years, a rapidly growing number of users have been filing  Mounjaro lawsuits, Ozempic lawsuits and Wegovy lawsuits against the drug makers, alleging that they withheld critical safety information and warnings, particularly about the risk that users may be left with devastating stomach paralysis injuries.

In this new study, researchers conducted a clinical review of multiple classes of diabetes drugs, including GLP-1 medications, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors and other types of diabetes drugs’ effects on heart disease and kidney disease.

They looked at data on 493,168 patients from 869 clinical trials, finding that all of the drugs have well-established heart and kidney benefits. However, GLP-1 medications, which did provide significant weight loss benefits,  were linked to four times the risk of gastrointestinal side effects compared to other types of diabetes drugs.

The drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide), specifically, carried the highest weight loss benefits and the highest stomach paralysis risks, the researchers noted. The data also linked SGLT-2 inhibitors, like Invokana, Farxiga and Jardiance, to more than triple the relative risk of genital infections, ketoacidosis and increased amputation risks.

Researchers say the study is a “living” review that will be updated on a regular basis and can be used to guide specific care of individual diabetes patients’ needs. As more clinical trial data is accrued on the drugs, it will be added to the database and the risks recalculated.

The research team indicates the goal is to quickly translate evidence for the benefits and side effects of diabetes drugs to quickly inform policy and practice.

Mounjaro, Ozempic Stomach Paralysis Lawsuits

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly face more than 2,400 product liability lawsuits brought throughout the federal court system over the past few years, each indicating that the manufacturers failed to provide adequate warning that the diabetes and weight loss drugs could cause severe gastrointestinal problems, including gastroparesis, bowel obstructions and other painful side effects.

Given the common questions of fact and law raised nationwide, all Ozempic gastroparesis lawsuits have been centralized in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where U.S. District Judge Karen Marston is overseeing coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings. As part of that process, the court will eventually select a small group of representative cases to serve as early “bellwethers,” providing insight into how juries may respond to recurring evidence and testimony.

Before moving to that stage, Judge Marston directed both sides to resolve several “cross-cutting” issues with broad implications for the litigation. Once those matters are addressed, the MDL is expected to proceed with preparing the first set 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, particularly for related Mounjaro gastroparesis lawsuits.

If no resolution is reached after these bellwethers, the remaining lawsuits will be sent back to their original courts for individual trial dates.