Claim:

Pharmaceutical companies behind weight loss and diabetes medication such as Ozempic are facing a lawsuit that could potentially pay out more than $2 billion.

Rating:

Rating: Mostly True

Rating: Mostly True

What’s True:

There is multidistrict litigation, or an MDL, in progress against pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co. from parties allegedly suffering side effects caused by the active ingredient in Ozempic and other similar drugs used for type 2 diabetes and weight loss.

 

What’s Undetermined:

There is no public evidence that the potential payout could be more than $2 billion. Reports featuring these numbers cite unnamed analysts but offer no documentation arriving at this number. A number of lawsuits are continuing to be filed under the MDL, which will mean the ultimate payout amount is in flux until all cases are settled. As of August 2025, there were more than 2,600 cases, with the number expected to grow.

 

A rumor that pharmaceutical companies behind popular weight-loss and diabetes medications like Ozempic faced lawsuits totaling more than $2 billion circulated online in August 2025. 

The claim was spread by users across social media platforms such as Facebook (archived) and X (archived, archived), with some sharing a June 2025 advisory from the World Health Organization that declared some of these medications could lead to a condition that is the “leading cause of vision loss in adults and the second most common optic neuropathy after glaucoma.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DNibkLpuPP8/

Though the alleged lawsuit included a variety of drugs that serve similar purposes, Ozempic was the most widely mentioned due its popularity. According to its website, “Ozempic is a medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes that, along with diet and exercise, may improve blood sugar. While not for weight loss, Ozempic may help you lose some weight.” The drug was first approved for use by the Federal Drug Administration in 2017. 

Claims of lawsuits against Ozempic and similar drugs are indeed true. However, there is no publicly available evidence regarding the potential settlement amounts. Therefore, we have rated this claim as mostly true until we can determine the amount of money involved. 

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, as well as Eli Lilly and Co., which manufactures Trulicity and Mounjaro, faced several personal-injury lawsuits based on alleged side effects caused by GLP-1 agonists. GLP-1 agonists are drugs “used to treat type 2 diabetes and support weight loss by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone,” according to Drugs.com. 

The Novo Nordisk products use a GLP-1 called semaglutide (used in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus) while the Eli Lilly drugs use GLP-1s called dulaglutide and tirzepatide (used in Trulicity and Mounjaro, respectively). Because of their similarities, the lawsuits were collected under a multidistrict litigation. MDLs are commonly used for complex cases with similar complaints from a multitude of claimants, such as claims related to health issues caused by asbestos products. 

According to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, whose Judge Karen Spencer Marston is overseeing the Ozempic case, an MDL is “litigation comprised of multiple civil cases involving one or more common questions of fact, but the cases are pending in different districts. Such actions may be transferred to any single district for coordinated or consolidated pretrial proceedings.” 

Very basically, this means a judge can make a single ruling that can then apply to other cases included in the MDL. 

What the Ozempic MDL entails

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, the body that decides whether cases should be reclassified in such a manner, said of its decision to classify the case as an MDL: 

Each lawsuit contains substantially similar allegations about GLP-1 RAs (specifically, Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, and/or Mounjaro) and their alleged propensity to cause gastrointestinal injuries … [and] [a]ll actions share common issues of fact regarding whether defendants knew or should have known that their GLP-1 RA products can cause gastroparesis and other gastrointestinal injuries, whether defendants adequately warned plaintiffs or their prescribing physicians about the alleged dangers of these products, and whether defendants made false, misleading, or incomplete representations regarding the safety of these products.

According to the website Lawsuit Tracker, as of August 2025 the GLP-1 multidistrict litigation, also referred to as MDL 3094, was in its early stages, with people still filing lawsuits.

This is likely the reason Google searches for “Ozempic lawsuit” primarily return results from personal-injury law firms making the case known to potential clients, hoping to attract others to join the lawsuit and ultimately earn the firms a payout. 

For instance, in addition to gastrointestinal injuries, one personal injury law firm pointed out a recent study that also linked “a serious eye injury known as non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy,” known as NAION, to the drug. The same law firm also posted: 

You may qualify to file a claim if:

-You were prescribed Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, or Mounjaro

-You experienced gastroparesis, ileus, gallbladder disease, vision loss, or other serious complications

-You have medical records confirming diagnosis and treatment

-You have not signed a liability waiver or accepted prior compensation

Even if your symptoms resolved, you may still be eligible based on pain, suffering, and medical costs incurred.

What the companies said

The official Ozempic website listed a variety of possible side effects from the medication, including “changes in vision,” “severe stomach problems” and “dehydration leading to kidney problems,” while adding, “the most common side effects of Ozempic may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, and constipation.”

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Snopes via email: 

Semaglutide has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real-world-evidence studies and has cumulatively over 33 million patient years of exposure. Semaglutide’s efficacy and safety have been extensively demonstrated in people with obesity/overweight with robust evidence for improving health outcomes. Semaglutide has demonstrated improvements in CV death, stroke and myocardial infarction. 

Novo Nordisk believes that the allegations in the lawsuits are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend against these claims. 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. Novo Nordisk remains confident in the benefit-risk profile of our GLP-1 medicines, when used consistent with their indications and product labeling.

A spokesperson for Eli Lilly old Snopes via email, “This week, the MDL Court issued an opinion excluding plaintiffs’ experts. Lilly appreciates the Court’s careful consideration of threshold issues related to the diagnosis of gastroparesis and the need for reliable science to support plaintiffs’ claims. We will continue to vigorously defend against these lawsuits.” 

Indeed, in a memorandum issued Aug. 15, 2025, the court ruled that two experts cited by the plaintiffs were to be excluded from the proceedings. However, the court also agreed to the plaintiff’s motion to supplement, which means additional evidence may be added in support of the claimants. The memorandum noted: 

The Court recognizes that given this ruling, some Plaintiffs in this MDL will be unable to prove that they suffered from gastroparesis because their diagnosis was not based on a properly performed gastric emptying study. Although unfortunate, it would be perhaps more unjust to hold Defendants potentially liable for damages based on an unreliable diagnosis. For that reason, courts in other cases have rejected similar claims where the plaintiffs were unable to prove the cause of their illness because their treating physician failed to perform a necessary test at the time of diagnosis.

The memorandum also noted these decisions “will have relatively little effect on the vast majority of the cases in this MDL.”

Billions at stake?

As for the amount of damages at stake in the litigation, the $2 billion figure appeared to originate with the law firm of Melinda J. Helbock, whose website stated “analysts project total liability could exceed $2 billion as new claims surge.” The website did not give more information about the analysts or how they arrived at that number.

However, there is no public evidence that this number is accurate. When asked about the potential amount at stake in the MDL, a law clerk for presiding U.S. District Judge Karen Marston told Snopes in an email, “It is Judge Marston’s policy not to comment on pending cases, whether it be specific inquiries or more general inquiries.”

It is unlikely an accurate figure will be available until the MDL is concluded, which could potentially take years. 

In conclusion, while the lawsuit brought against Ozempic and similar drugs is authentic, there is no evidence of what the potential windfall could be should the plaintiffs succeed. 

Sources:

: : GLUCAGON-LIKE PEPTIDE-1 RECEPTOR AGONISTS (GLP-1 RAS) PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION . United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, 2 Feb. 2024, https://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/MDL-3094-Transfer_Order-1-24.pdf.

A.P.C, Melinda Helbock, and The Law Office of Melinda J. Helbock. “Ozempic Lawsuits Facing a $2 Billion Problem and Growing.” Melinda J. Helbock, A.P.C. San Diego, 18 Aug. 2025, https://www.helbocklaw.com/ozempic-lawsuit-facing-a-2-billion-problem-and-growing/.

DeSilver, Drew. “As Obesity Rates Rise in the U.S. and Worldwide, New Weight-Loss Drugs Surge in Popularity.” Pew Research Center, 21 Mar. 2024, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/03/21/as-obesity-rates-rise-in-the-us-and-worldwide-new-weight-loss-drugs-surge-in-popularity/.

Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAS) Products Liability Litigation – Memorandum . United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 15 Aug. 2025.

GovInfo. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-jpml-1_23-F-03094/USCOURTS-jpml-1_23-F-03094-0/summary. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

MDL 875 In Re: Asbestos Products Liability Litigation (No. VI) | Eastern District of Pennsylvania | United States District Court. https://www.paed.uscourts.gov/mdl/mdl-875-re-asbestos-products-liability-litigation-no-vi. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

MDL 3094 In Re: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAS) Products Liability Litigation | Eastern District of Pennsylvania | United States District Court. https://www.paed.uscourts.gov/mdl/mdl-3094-re-glucagon-peptide-1-receptor-agonists-glp-1-ras-products-liability-litigation. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

MDL3094 | Eastern District of Pennsylvania | United States District Court. https://www.paed.uscourts.gov/mdl/mdl3094. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

“Ozempic Lawsuit – August 2025 Update.” Lawsuit Tracker, 7 Aug. 2025, https://lawsuittracker.org/dangerous-drugs/ozempic-lawsuit/.

Ozempic (Semaglutide) Injection. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/nda/2017/209637Orig1s000TOC.cfm. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

PRAC Concludes Eye Condition NAION Is a Very Rare Side Effect of Semaglutide Medicines Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy | European Medicines Agency (EMA). 6 Jun. 2025, https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/prac-concludes-eye-condition-naion-very-rare-side-effect-semaglutide-medicines-ozempic-rybelsus-wegovy.

The Use of Semaglutide Medicines and Risk of Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION). https://www.who.int/news/item/27-06-2025-27-06-2025-semaglutide-medicines-naion. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

What Is Ozempic®? | Ozempic® (Semaglutide) Injection. https://www.ozempic.com/why-ozempic/what-is-ozempic.html. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

WHO Issues Warning on Falsified Medicines Used for Diabetes Treatment and Weight Loss. https://www.who.int/news/item/20-06-2024-who-issues-warning-on-falsified-medicines-used-for-diabetes-treatment-and-weight-loss. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.