A woman is suing the makers of Ozempic, claiming the company behind the drug knew it would cause her stomach problems.
Caren Elosua has filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, claiming its weight-loss drugs are causing stomach problems in users.
In court documents obtained by TMZElosua says that even with the alleged side effects in mind, she was still given Ozempic to help her type 2 diabetes.
The outlet reported that Elosua started taking 1 ml of the drug in April 2021, and increased it to 2 ml a few years later.
Late last year she claimed she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, the weakening of the abdominal muscles, and claimed the weight-loss drug caused it.
Ozempic has FDA approval as a diabetes drug, but it has been prescribed off-label for weight loss to millions of Americans
Caren Elosua has filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, their headquarters can be seen here, claiming the weight loss drugs are causing stomach problems in users
Elosua claims she suffered from headaches, vomiting, cramps and severe stomach pain and decided to see a specialist.
The gastroenterologist, she claims, told her that her abdominal muscles had become so weak that she could no longer digest food.
At the end of January, Elosua claims she had her last injection of Ozempic, but added that by that point the alleged damage had already been done.
Elosua also claims in her lawsuit that she had to be hospitalized due to the constant pain that tore up her abdominal area.
In her lawsuit, she claims that Novo Nordisk knew this drug would cause her such problems and continued to produce it.
Elosua is not alone in her claims: Patients across America have filed lawsuits against Novo Nordisk, saying they have experienced extreme side effects from the drug.
Most patients, like Elosua, claim they suffered from gastroparesis, the medical name for stomach paralysis.
The condition, which can be life-threatening, causes a build-up of food in the intestines and symptoms include nausea, vomiting and severe pain.
A pharmacist arranges a box of Novo Nordisk A/S Ozempic brand semaglutide medications at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, USA, on Monday, November 27, 2023
In a review of a dozen lawsuits filed by DailyMail.com in January this year, Novo Nordisk is accused in almost all of the lawsuits of failing to warn them of the risks.
At least 10 lawsuits have also been filed against Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, a diabetes drug that works in a similar way to Ozempic and Wegovy and is also prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Eli Lilly is also accused of failing to include proper warnings about Mounjaro’s risks.
In one case, a woman taking Ozempic and Mounjaro claims she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, which caused her to vomit so much that some of her teeth fell out.
In another case, a woman was diagnosed with a ‘life-threatening intestinal injury’ after taking Ozempic and underwent surgery that lasted almost nine hours. Doctors said she would be in pain “for the rest of her life” and “never have regular bowel movements again.”
A third case, brought by a woman taking Wegovy, claims she was diagnosed with “severe gastroparesis” and was hospitalized with symptoms including a week without a bowel movement.
Ozempic has FDA approval for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, but has been prescribed off-label for weight loss to millions of Americans.
Mounjaro also has approval for diabetes, but can also be prescribed off-label for weight loss.
Elosua is not alone in her claims: Patients across America have filed lawsuits against Novo Nordisk, saying they have experienced extreme side effects from the drug.
Zakareeya Gregory was hospitalized for four weeks and had her gallbladder removed due to complications allegedly caused by her use of Ozempic
Zakareeya Gregory, 46, from Walker Mill, Maryland, told DailyMail.com that she had her gallbladder removed after experiencing side effects allegedly caused by Ozempic, which she took for seven months until February 2020.
Gregory, who was prescribed Ozempic to treat type 2 diabetes, said Ozempic initially helped her drop from 220 pounds to 170 pounds and lowered her blood sugar levels, while causing only minor complications, such as stomach pain.
The serious side effects such as extreme abdominal pain started ‘suddenly’ at the end of 2022, more than two years after she stopped taking Ozempic. Her legal complaint stated that in 2022 she also used Rybelsus, a tablet form of the drug also made by Novo Nordisk.
Gregory was taken to the emergency room in December, where scans revealed a problem with her gallbladder, which surgeons removed during her four-week hospital stay.
‘I went home with a tube in my side that I had to keep changing for drainage. I lasted maybe two weeks,” said Gregory, who also needed a blood transfusion.
‘It was very horrible, having your gallbladder removed was horrible. I never thought I would have to have my gallbladder removed. I’ve never had any problems with that. It was a dramatic change in my life.’
Brea said doctors said she almost died because of the complications allegedly caused by Ozempic. She said she was not warned about the side effects
Brea Hand, 23, told DailyMail.com that it took her five hospital visits before doctors diagnosed her with gastroparesis, which was reportedly caused by Ozempic
Brea Hand, 23, of Ponca City, Oklahoma, told DailyMail.com that she started taking Ozempic in May 2023 and began experiencing nausea, vomiting and constipation within weeks.
Hand, a mother of two who was prescribed the drug to control her fluctuating weight and pre-diabetes, needed five hospital visits before doctors diagnosed her with gastroparesis and diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening.
During her last hospital visit, she was admitted to the intensive care unit.
“They said my body was so acidic that if I had waited another day, I wouldn’t have made it,” said Hand, whose lawsuit was filed Dec. 28.
‘It was scary. It was painful. I have never experienced such pain in my entire life and I never want to experience it again.”
Hand, a behavioral sciences student, says she was unaware of the side effects she experienced and wants to warn others about the risks of Ozempic.
‘Personally I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Just taking that risk would be too much for me, considering what I’ve been through. I think they should definitely advertise more about the risks it poses.”
DailyMail.com has contacted Novo Nordisk for comment.