A drug that has become famous for being touted as the miracle cure for obesity. But not without risks, it seems.
Sometimes Serious Side Effects
Originally, Ozempic was developed to treat type 2 diabetes. But its impact on obesity pushed it into a entirely different use: weight loss. Yet a French lawyer is preparing a class-action lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, the maker of this medication. A suit for “aggravated fraud, involuntary injuries and involuntary manslaughter” that is expected to be filed in 2026 with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Public Health division at the Paris courthouse.
Indeed, some patients have complained that they were not adequately warned about potential side effects linked to this treatment. The milder cases reportedly include abdominal pain or vomiting. But in some instances, pancreatitis or kidney failure have been discussed. The issue is not one to be taken lightly, given that in France roughly 870,000 people are treated with medicines from the family to which Ozempic belongs.
Cancer Risks?
A group of victims has formed on Facebook. Several legal actions have been filed, both in the United States and Canada, against Novo Nordisk but also its competitor Eli Lilly, by patients alleging serious side effects tied to this treatment that some have hailed as a miracle. Since these drugs hit the market in 2019, 1,600 serious cases including 65 deaths have been reported to the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM). Nevertheless, Novo Nordisk maintains that the benefit-risk profile of the active ingredient in Ozempic remains unchanged.
Moreover, this treatment is also suspected of increasing cancer risk. Indeed, a French study published in the journal Diabetes Care notes an elevated risk of thyroid cancer among patients who used GLP-1 class therapies for one to three years. Novo Nordisk, for its part, says it is closely monitoring potential reports of adverse effects related to its medicines.
