The global weight-loss craze around Ozempic is now facing serious legal battles, as patients, regulators, and the drug’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, clash over safety, counterfeit versions, and side effects.
What started as a diabetes medication has become a worldwide sensation, fueling billion-dollar sales as people use it for rapid weight loss. But with popularity has come scrutiny, and a wave of lawsuits now threatens to reshape how the drug is marketed, prescribed, and consumed.
One of the biggest legal moves involves Novo Nordisk itself. The Danish pharmaceutical giant has filed 14 lawsuits in the U.S. against compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and telehealth providers.
The company claims these businesses are producing unsafe, unauthorized versions of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) and selling them under the banner of “personalized” weight-loss treatments.
Novo Nordisk insists that these products are not only illegal but also risky, since they bypass the strict manufacturing standards and quality controls that approved drugs must meet. By suing, the company aims to protect both its brand and public health.
At the same time, thousands of patients are bringing their own cases against Novo Nordisk, alleging the company failed to properly warn about severe side effects.
Nearly 2,000 lawsuits have now been bundled into a U.S. federal multidistrict litigation (MDL). The claims center on serious gastrointestinal problems such as gastroparesis (stomach paralysis) and intestinal blockages, conditions that can be painful, long-term, and in some cases life-threatening.
A major hearing is scheduled to determine which expert testimonies will be allowed in the trial, a key step in deciding the direction of the MDL. If the evidence shows that Novo Nordisk downplayed or failed to disclose risks, the company could be facing billions in liability.
Outside the main MDL, more lawsuits are emerging around other alleged health impacts.
Some patients say Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy led to vision loss from a condition known as NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy). This rare disease can cause sudden, permanent blindness and is now being linked in a handful of cases to GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic.
Another high-profile case comes from a woman who claims Ozempic caused part of her large intestine to die, forcing surgeons to remove it and leaving her dependent on an ileostomy bag. She argues that the drug’s warning labels were insufficient. Novo Nordisk, however, dismissed her claims as “meritless.”
The Ozempic lawsuits raise a wider question about the balance between blockbuster medical innovation and consumer protection. While the drug has been hailed as a game-changer in tackling obesity, its rapid rise in popularity has also highlighted the risks of mass off-label use.
Novo Nordisk maintains that Ozempic is safe when used as prescribed, pointing to extensive clinical trials. But the sheer number of claims suggests that more people are experiencing severe side effects than originally anticipated.
At the same time, the proliferation of fake and compounded versions adds a dangerous new layer, making it harder for regulators and patients to separate legitimate science from risky shortcuts.
For now, the courts will play a decisive role. The outcomes of the MDL hearings, combined with Novo Nordisk’s lawsuits against counterfeit suppliers, will shape the future of Ozempic’s reputation and possibly the entire weight-loss drug industry.
With billions of dollars at stake and thousands of patients watching closely, the legal battles around Ozempic are set to be as dramatic as its rise in the wellness world.