On December 15, a US judicial panel ordered that a growing number of lawsuits claiming popular weight-loss drugs caused vision loss be grouped into a single federal case in Pennsylvania.
The decision creates a new mass litigation focused specifically on allegations that drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy led to partial or total blindness in some patients, separate from an existing case over gastrointestinal side effects.
The lawsuits allege that GLP-1 medications (including Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, Wegovy, and Saxenda, and Eli Lilly’s Trulicity) can trigger non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a rare condition caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve that can result in partial or total vision loss.
Plaintiffs argue the companies failed to adequately warn patients about the risk, and say the vision loss has had serious consequences for their health, livelihoods, and quality of life.
Over the past year, there has been a boom in people using the prescription medicine Ozempic and other medications in the same class. For some, it's an absolute lifeline as a treatment for diabetes. To others, one of its main side effects—sudden, fast weight loss—means its appeal lies solely in the significant number of pounds they can shed while on the medication. But what happens inside the body if you lose weight rapidly? A phenomenon known colloquially as "Ozempic face" offers some clues.
Intrigued? Click on to learn what happens to your body when you drop weight quickly.