Semaglutide-related Side Effects Include Ischemic Stroke, Pulmonary Embolism, and Deep Vein Thrombosis
(Posted by Tom Lamb at Drug Injury Watch)
Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic are drugs with semaglutide as their active ingredient. Semaglutide is associated with a significantly increased risk of blood clots. Drug injury lawsuits filed for people diagnosed with gastroparesis, gastric stasis, stomach paralysis, and other semaglutide-related stomach conditions are in this federal court MDL: IN RE: GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS (GLP-1 RAS) PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION, MDL No. 3094. Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic blood clots cases are not part of that federal court MDL at this time.
In more detail, Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic have been associated with an increased risk of blood clots that can lead to ischemic strokes (which are strokes caused by blood clots), pulmonary embolism (sometimes called a PE), or deep vein thrombosis (often called a DVT). This is a drug safety issue that has been overshadowed by gastrointestinal and stomach problems linked to Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic. We first wrote about this drug safety issue in this February 2024 article, “‘New’ Blood Clots Side Effect of Semaglutide Weight Loss Drugs Like Ozempic: Deep Vein Thrombosis“.
Since then, we have been investigating possible drug injury lawsuits against Novo Nordisk involving strokes caused by blood clots as well as PEs and DVTs in patients using Wegovy, Rybelsus, or Ozempic. As seen below, those semaglutide blood clot cases would not be part of the federal court MDL that includes Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic lawsuits involving gastrointestinal and stomach problems.
From the February 2024 Transfer Order for MDL No. 3094 (PDF document), we get the following information:
The scope of this MDL, should the Panel order centralization, is a primary point of contention among the parties. The actions on the motion are personal injury actions stemming from use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), medicines that are prescribed for, among other things, the treatment of type 2 diabetes and to help certain obese or overweight individuals lose excess weight…. This class of medications includes Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, each of which contains semaglutide…. Movants seek to centralize actions involving plaintiffs who used any of these GLP-1 RA medications and in which plaintiffs suffered gastroparesis, ileus, intestinal obstruction or pseudo-obstruction, or other gastrointestinal injury….
All actions share common issues of fact regarding whether defendants knew or should have known that their GLP-1 RA products can cause gastroparesis and other gastrointestinal injuries, whether defendants adequately warned plaintiffs or their prescribing physicians about the alleged dangers of these products, and whether defendants made false, misleading, or incomplete representations regarding the safety of these products.
Drug injury lawsuits against Novo Nordisk involving a stroke, pulmonary embolism, or deep vein thrombosis when using Wegovy, Rybelsus, or Ozempic are somewhat similar to the federal court MDL lawsuits involving gastrointestinal and stomach problems to the extent that these three issues would be involved:
- Whether Novo Nordisk knew or should have known that its semaglutide-containing drugs Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic can cause ischemic strokes, pulmonary embolism (PE), or deep vein thrombosis (DVT);
- Whether Novo Nordisk adequately warned the patient who suffered a stroke, PE, or DVT — or their prescribing doctor — about the alleged increased risk of blood clots of Wegovy, Rybelsus, Ozempic; and,
- Whether Novo Nordisk made false, misleading, or incomplete representations regarding the safety of Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic.
However, the Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic blood clots lawsuits would not be part of MDL No. 3094 as currently configured in the February 2024 Transfer Order because that federal court MDL does not include stroke, PE, and DVT cases.
If we can assist you or someone you know, our Drug Injury Case Evaluation Form is available online, or you can call us at (800) 426-9535 to discuss a possible Wegovy, Rybelsus, or Ozempic case.
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