Medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have become well known for their ability to help patients manage type 2 diabetes and their weight, respectively. But for some patients, the transformative effects of Ozempic and Wegovy—which are Novo Nordisk's brand names for semaglutide injection—are offset by the negative side effects that occur when taking these kinds of medications. Many have reported gastrointestinal issues that are thought to be connected, but now, another patient is revealing the "severe" and potentially life-threatening side effects she experienced.
RELATED: Ozempic Patient Shares "Psychological Effects" That Made Him Want to Quit.
Speaking with CBS News, Pennsylvania resident Juanita Gantt explained that she was prescribed both Ozempic and Wegovy due to concerns about her family history of diabetes and her weight. At age 62, she weighed approximately 242 pounds and hadn't had success with dieting. Gantt recalled feeling "defeated and humiliated," but once she started taking the medications, it took some of that pressure off.
"I was feeling fine. I enjoyed the days that I didn't have to worry about my appetite. I didn't have cravings. I just felt like I was doing something positive for myself," she told CBS News.
However, in Oct. 2023—after months on the medication—her husband found her on the floor unconscious. According to Gantt, she had "no idea" what had happened to her.
Doctors then discovered they needed to remove parts of her large intestines that had died, CBS News reported. While recovering from the emergency surgery, Gantt went into cardiac arrest, and her daughter received a phone call from the hospital due to concerns that her mother could lose her life.
While she thankfully survived the procedure, Gantt no longer has a colon and has to wear a bag to collect waste.
Gantt said she had "no warning" that this could happen while taking the medications and is suing Novo Nordisk as a result. Per CBS News, Gantt is alleging that the drugmaker's labels "do not adequately warn" patients about these kinds of side effects.
"It's put a lot of resources into marketing the drug, hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the market get new patients for the drug, but it hasn't spent that money on warning patients 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," Gantt's attorney, Parvin Aminolroaya, told CBS News.
RELATED: 5 Things You Need To Know Before Taking Ozempic, According to a Pharmacist.
This isn't the first time Novo Nordisk has been hit with a lawsuit due to reported side effects, and last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the Ozempic label to acknowledge ileus, a gastrointestinal disorder. The FDA stated that the drug and Novo Nordisk aren't directly to blame for patients' developing the condition.
"The following adverse reactions have been reported during post-approval use of semaglutide, the active ingredient of Ozempic," the updated label states. "Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure."
Regarding the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told Best Life, "We are aware of the health challenges this patient has experienced and are sympathetic to her health journey. Patient safety is our top priority at Novo Nordisk, and we work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continuously monitor the safety profile of our medicines."
However, the spokesperson added that Novo believes the allegations in the lawsuit are "without merit," and it will "vigorously defend against these claims." It also said that the semaglutide has been "extensively examined" in clinical development trials and real-world evidence studies.
"The known risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labeling," the spokesperson concluded. "Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional."
Still, Gantt wanted to issue a warning to others who may take these medications.
"It just should not have happened to me. If it happened to me, it could happen to you," Gantt said.
