Novo Nordisk Created Two Successful Type 2 Diabetes Drugs
Now-famous Danish pharmaceutical company, Novo Nordisk, created two drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic, to fight Type 2 diabetes.
Source: Wikipedia
In 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved both drugs for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. However, within just a few years, it became clear that Ozempic and Wegovy provided a second benefit—they helped patients lose a substantial amount of unwanted weight.
Wegovy and Ozempic: The Magic Weight Loss Pills
Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, which mimics naturally occurring hormones that tell the brain the stomach is full. Therefore, patients naturally consume far less than they do without the medication.
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Additionally, they slow digestion by increasing the time it takes for food to leave, very similar to how bariatric surgery affects the body.
These Drugs Have not Been Approved for Weight Loss
Even though both Ozempic and Wegovy have been proven to provide extreme weight loss, neither has been approved by the FDA for anything other than treating Type 2 diabetes.
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Therefore, doctors are not technically allowed to prescribe these medications to those without Type 2 diabetes.
More Than 9 Million Americans Were Prescribed Ozempic and Wegovy
However, that hasn’t stopped them from doing precisely that. In fact, US healthcare providers wrote more than nine million prescriptions for the drugs over the past few years, and very few actually have diabetes.
Source: Freepik
And unfortunately, it has become clear that these nine million patients were unaware that the drugs came with some severe side effects.
The Side Effects of Wegovy and Ozempic
According to Novo Nordisk, when taking these drugs correctly, side effects can include “nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stomach (abdomen) pain, headache, tiredness (fatigue), upset stomach, dizziness, feeling bloated, belching, low blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes, gas, stomach flu, heartburn, and runny nose or sore throat.”
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Upon first glance, it appears that all the adverse side effects of Wegovy or Ozempic are extremely mild and, really, risk-free. The company also notes, “These are not all the possible side effects,” but doesn’t name any more.
Patients Are Experiencing More Dangerous Side Effects
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has reported that, in addition to the mild side effects Novo Nordisk mentions, more serious issues have been linked to drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic.
Source: Freepik
Some patients have experienced kidney injury, diabetic retinopathy (damage to the retina), gallbladder problems, pancreatitis, and gastroparesis.
One Woman Almost Lost Her Life After Taking Ozempic
Juanita Gantt had struggled with weight loss her entire life. After trying a wide variety of diets, she still weighed 242 pounds at age 62, and finally, her doctor prescribed both Wegovy and Ozempic to help her lose the unwanted weight.
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Gantt’s doctor said that because diabetes ran in her family, it could both protect her from developing the disease and lose weight simultaneously. However, after just a few months on the drug, her husband found her on the floor, unconscious.
Part of Gantt’s Large Intestine Had Died
After being rushed to the hospital, Gantt’s doctors realized part of her large intestine had died and needed to be removed immediately. During the emergency surgery, Gantt went into cardiac arrest and almost lost her life.
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Thankfully, she survived, but she lost her colon in the process. Gantt now lives with an ileostomy bag attached to her abdomen to collect waste and will continue to wear it for the rest of her life.
Suing Novo Nordisk for Misrepresenting the Side Effects
As Gantt said, she “had no warning that this was even a possibility,” either from Novo Nordisk or her doctor.
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And she is now suing the company, claiming its labels do not adequately warn potential patients or their doctors about the severe side effects of these drugs. Gantt says, “It just should not have happened to me.”
Novo Nordisk Needs to Spend More Money on Education
Gantt’s attorney, Parvin Aminolroaya, also noted, “[Novo Nordisk] put a lot of resources into marketing the drug, hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the market [and] get new patients for the drug.”
Source: Reddit
They continued, “…but it hasn’t spent that money on warning patients of the risk of gastroparesis, ileus, small bowel obstruction, and the fact that these injuries can be severe, even if it’s in a rare case.”
Novo Nordisk Says the Lawsuit Is “Without Merit”
In response to the lawsuit, Novo Nordisk told CBS News, “The known risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labeling” and that “the allegations in the lawsuits are without merit.”
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But Gantt plans to take her case to court, saying she wants to be sure others taking or considering starting the drug understand what can happen. She said, “If it happened to me, it could happen to you.”