Millions of Americans are taking prescribed drugs to lose weight and to control diabetes. But are the warning labels on those drugs clear about the risks?
She was prescribed both Wegovy and Ozempic, and soon found herself needing emergency surgery. Now she’s suing.
Juanita Gantt, 67, told CBS News she had always battled weight gain, reaching 242 pounds at age 62 despite trying every diet under the sun.
“Diabetes runs in my family, and I knew how much it’s linked to weight,” she said. “I was so defeated and ashamed. Why couldn’t I just drop the pounds?”
Because Gantt was at a higher risk for diabetes, her doctor thought she was a good candidate for the medication, and prescribed her first Wegovy and then Ozempic, both made by Novo Nordisk.
“I felt great. I loved those moments when I wasn’t thinking about food all the time. I wasn’t obsessing over it. I was actually doing something positive for myself,” she said.
But a few months later, in October 2023, her husband found her collapsed on the floor, unconscious.
“I didn’t know what had happened,” Gantt remembered.
Doctors found she’d suffered a large intestine death and had to remove parts of it. Gantt went through recovery with her heart stopping at one point, her doctors called her daughter to warn her that her mother may not make it.
“It devastates me that my daughter had to receive that phone call,” said Gantt, fighting back tears, “It’s just horrible.”
Now, an ileostomy bag attached to her abdomen collects waste. She said, “I had absolutely no warning that such an outcome was even conceivable.”
Gantt has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, contending that its drug labels do not appropriately warn patients and health-care providers of life-threatening potential side effects, which include gastroparesis or stomach paralysis, and bowel obstructions.
“They’ve spent an enormous amount of money to market these drugs, hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the patient population. But they haven’t appropriately funded to educate their patients about the serious risks of gastroparesis, ileus and small bowel obstruction. These side effects are rare, but can be extremely severe,” said her attorney, Parvin Aminolroaya.
Speaking to CBS News in response to this lawsuit and others, Novo Nordisk said, “The risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labels.” The pharma company labeled class action lawsuits meritless, vowing it would fight vigorously.
Novo Nordisk also wrote that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, has been extensively evaluated through rigorous clinical trials and large-scale real-world studies.
The company would not comment on the specific symptoms Gantt experienced, citing prior court filings where it detailed the gastrointestinal problems are among the listed side effects of the drugs and listed on their labels.
A Gallup survey reported that approximately 15 million American adults use injectable prescription drugs as a means to support their weight management. While some warn that Ozempic and Wegovy are two extremely popular GLP-1 drugs with dire side effects such as nausea and vomiting, to many healthcare providers, the drugs are invaluable for dealing with weight-related conditions.
These drugs are game-changing in so many ways,” said Dr. Céline Gounder, a medical contributor for CBS News and the editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. “Not only are they helping people lose weight and control diabetes, but they’re also helping reduce conditions linked to obesity. Still, it’s important that patients stay aware of the risks, Gounder said. “Those risks may not always be outweighed by the potential benefits.”
The October study found that the risk of bowel obstruction and stomach paralysis associated with some GLP-1 drugs was higher compared to other weight loss drug combinations but those complications were low.
“It’s really important for patients to consider their risk specifically. Even though that may be small, that does not make that zero percent,” said Dr. Mohit Sodhi a co-author in the study.
Gantt hopes others can learn from her ordeal.
“This should never have happened to me, and if it did happen to me, it could certainly happen to somebody else,” she said.
This article was originally published on cbsnews. Read the original article.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are common side effects of GLP-1 medications?
Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Rarely, some gastrointestinal problems may result in worst cases.
2. Why are drugs for weight loss becoming so famous?
Due to the rising rates of obesity, the recent trends of GLP-1 drugs on weight management and control of diabetes makes many people seek these drugs as a resort.
3.How do or can patients decide about these medications?
The patients should discuss with their doctors, research on the drug understand the pros and adverse effects, and thus start the medication.
4.What is something that doctors should consider when thinking about prescribing these drugs?
This is a decision that has to be made by the physician, weighing a patient’s medical history and risk factors against the benefits of the medication as compared to possible side effects.
5.Will this lawsuit affect how things will be in the future regarding weight loss drugs?
If successful, the suit could have large ramifications on the way drugs are labelled in the future, making patients more fully informed of risks.