Nueva York Abogados litigantes farmacéuticos

GLP-1 Lawsuits: Medication Risks, Serious Injuries, and Your Legal Options

GLP-1 medications have become a common part of treatment for type 2 diabetes and chronic weight management. Some patients have also reported serious injuries after using these drugs, leading to litigation over their risks and the adequacy of manufacturer warnings.

If you or a family member received a serious diagnosis after taking a GLP-1 medication, you may have grounds to request a pharmaceutical injury review. 

Taking the medication alone does not establish a claim. An attorney must evaluate the injury, potential causation, and applicable law.

Napoli Shkolnik reviews potential pharmaceutical injury cases and offers free case evaluations. Call (844) 230-7676 o submit a case-review request to discuss your circumstances.

What Is a GLP-1 Medication?

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, which is a hormone involved in regulating blood sugar and appetite. GLP-1 receptor agonists act on the same receptor as the hormone.

Several prescription medicines fall within this group. Each one differs in its active ingredients, dosing, and approved uses.

Tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, is often included in discussions of GLP-1 treatment, but it has an important distinction: it acts on both GIP and GLP-1 receptors. It is not the same medication as semaglutide.

The exact product matters in a legal review. A lawyer needs to identify the drug involved rather than treating every diabetes or weight-management medication as interchangeable and even remotely similar.

What Are These Medications Prescribed For?

The table below identifies selected uses of each of the medications. It does not list every approved indication or eligibility requirement. A product’s current prescribing information controls its approved uses and warnings. 

Why the medication was prescribed is part of the case history. It does not, by itself, determine whether a patient can bring an injury claim or not. 

Approved uses depend on the product. 

Examples include:

Medicamento	Active Ingredient	An Example of an Approved Use
Wegovy	Semaglutide	Weight Management
Ozempic	Semaglutide	Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes
Zepbound	Tirzepatide	Chronic Weight Management
Rybelsus	Semaglutide	Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes
Trulicity	Dulaglutide	Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes
Mounjaro	Tirzepatide	Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes

The FDA provides information and some background on approved GLP-1 medications y Zepbound’s weight-management approval.

What Serious Risks Should Patients Understand?

Risks vary across medications because no two are exactly alike. A warning in one medication’s label should not automatically be attributed to every drug in the group despite the medications having similarities. 

For example: Ozempic’s prescribing information addresses pancreatitis, severe gastrointestinal reactions, gallbladder disease, and kidney injury associated with volume depletion. It also warns about pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or while undergoing deep sedation. It further instructs patients to tell their healthcare providers about planned procedures.

In addition, the label includes a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumors observed in rodents. It states that the relevance to humans is unknown. Describing this as proof that Ozempic causes thyroid cancer in people would misstate the warning. 

A listed risk is not automatically a viable lawsuit. A complete legal review focuses on asking additional questions about the specific injury, the warning available at the relevant time when the medication was prescribed, and whether the evidence supports manufacturer liability or not. 

Gastroparesis and Other Gastrointestinal Injuries

Gastroparesis occurs when the stomach empties too slowly. The condition can interfere with eating and lead to further complications that require ongoing care. Diabetes itself can contribute to gastroparesis, making a complete medical history especially important when evaluating a suspected drug injury for this condition. 

Él gastrointestinal lawsuits allege that certain GLP-1 manufacturers inadequately warned about gastroparesis and other digestive injuries. However, the manufacturers deny those allegations. A patient’s diagnosis and treatment records are necessary to determine what happened in that individual case because each one is unique. 

Persistent symptoms should be evaluated by a medical professional.

NAION and Vision Loss

NAION is a serious optic nerve condition that can cause sudden, potentially permanent vision loss in the sufferer. It is different from a general complaint of blurred vision. It requires specialist assessment to diagnose the condition and further determine the true extent of the vision loss.

In June 2025, the European Medicines Agency’s safety committee concluded that NAION is a very rare adverse effect of semaglutide medicines. The agency’s conclusion concerns semaglutide and should not be expanded into a claim that every GLP-1 drug carries an identical established risk for every patient. 

Napoli Shkolnik's semaglutide litigation page specifically invites review of NAION cases. A diagnosis after medication use does not establish causation on its own. Further medical evidence must be gathered and evaluated. In addition, the patient’s history remains necessary.

Anyone experiencing sudden vision loss should seek immediate medical care. 

What Is the Current Status of GLP-1 Lawsuits?

As of November 2, 2026, two separate federal multidistrict proceedings in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania address different categories of alleged GLP-1 injury. Both of the following proceedings are assigned to Judge Karen S. Marston. 

The cases follow two separate tracks. MDL 3094 involves gastrointestinal injuries, with disputes over what manufacturers knew about the alleged risks and whether their warnings were sufficient.

MDL 3163 involves NAION vision loss. Patients in that proceeding allege inadequate warnings, design defects, and breaches of warranties. The court provides information about both proceedings.

Neither proceeding guarantees a payment. Patients still need evidence supporting their claims, and manufacturers can challenge whether a drug caused the injury.

Un MDL brings related cases together for pretrial proceedings, allowing the court to address questions those cases share. Your medical history and the harm you experienced remain part of your own claim.

What Compensation May Be Available?

Depending on the evidence and applicable law, a successful pharmaceutical injury claim may seek payment for medical treatment and related future care that may be needed. Lost wages or reduced earning capacity may also be relevant.

Some claims include compensation for pain and suffering or the effects of a lasting disability. The available categories depend on the jurisdiction and facts.

There is no responsible way to assign a case value from the drug name alone. An attorney needs to understand the severity of the injury and how it has affected the person’s life. A lawsuit does not guarantee a settlement or award.

What Should You Bring to a Case Evaluation?

Bring whatever records you already have. Pharmacy statements and specialist records are useful, but a patient does not need a complete medical file before contacting the firm for a consultation.

Write down the medication name and approximate treatment dates. You’ll need to include the diagnosis, treating providers, and any hospital visits connected to the injury.

If a family member helped you during recovery, they may be able to help reconstruct the timeline, so you’ll want to reach out to them. Mark uncertain dates as only estimates. The records can be used to confirm them at a later date if needed. 

An attorney can explain what additional information is needed and how to obtain it. Ask about filing deadlines early rather than waiting for every document to arrive, this helps ensure you’re not late. 

¿Cómo puede ayudar el Napoli Shkolnik?

Napoli Shkolnik's pharmaceutical litigation practice evaluates serious drug-injury claims involving medical evidence, labeling questions, and manufacturer conduct. That work can include examining treatment records and determining whether expert analysis supports a potential connection between a medication and an injury.

For a GLP-1 case review, the firm can discuss the drug involved, the diagnosis, and the legal questions raised by the available evidence. It can also explain whether the matter fits its current case criteria and what the next steps would involve.

Póngase en contacto con Napoli Shkolnik para una evaluación gratuita del caso. You can ask about your rights without having already decided to file a lawsuit. Please remember that a case review does not guarantee representation or compensation, but it can help you understand whether there is a legal path worth pursuing.