Ozempic Lawsuit 2025: Ozempic is currently facing over 1,800 lawsuits in US courts almost costing it $2 billion. Patients claim that the side effects are severe and that they have not been warned of the same.

A recent study published in JAMA noted of the Ozempic Vision, where this popular weight loss drug caused vision loss to many. Now, it is Ozempic stomach, or stomach paralysis. These lawsuits has put the liability on Novo Nordisk and the claims could even cross the $2 billion mark. This, could in fact, become one of the costliest drug safety dispute in the history.

What Is Ozempic?

It is a once-weekly injectable medication that must be used along side diet and exercise to manage type 2 diabetes. It has been approves by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is also said to reduce risk of major heart-related events, worsening kidney disease, and helping with weight loss. This belongs to the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist drug class.

Also Read: Popular Weight Loss Drugs Could Be Linked To Vision Loss, Finds New Study

The Ozempic 'Stomach': Stomach Paralysis

Recent research have indicated a link between Ozempic and stomach paralysis or gastroparesis or bowel injury. However, here, 'paralysis' does not mean the stomach is permanently inactive, instead, it means that the medication slows stomach emptying and some people can be more affected than others.

A study analyzing FDA safety data from 2018 to early 2022 identified 48 such cases of stomach paralysis, out of which, 26 were serious and 22 were non serious. This data was collected among the 5,442 reported of semaglutide-related gastrointestinal issues.

Symptoms of Ozempic Stomach

• Stomach discomfort
• Bloating
• Feeling full too early after you start eating a meal
• Nausea

Why Does Ozempic Stomach Happen?

Ozempic (semaglutide) mimics the hormone GLP-1, helping lower blood sugar and reduce appetite by slowing gastric emptying and gut movement. While effective for diabetes and weight loss, in some people it can delay digestion, causing food build-up (bezoars), nausea, and in rare cases, stomach or intestinal paralysis.

As per a 2024 study published in Cureus, titled: Tendency of Semaglutide to Induce Gastroparesis: A Case Report, notes of a case study of a 53-year-old woman who had a medical history of depression, obesity stage 2 and obstructive sleep apnea. She was also presented to the hospital due to nausea and abdominal pain, which lasted for three weeks.

The woman had been on a .5mg of semglutide injection weekly, for proceeding four months of her weight loss. She lost about 40 pounds during this period and did not increase her dose of semaglutide. Her esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed small volume of retained semisolid food material and liquid in the cardia, while she had been on a liquid diet for 24 hours.

This finding of retained food was considered highly consistent with the diagnosis of gastroparesis. It indicated that despite the liquid diet, she had solid food remains, which means her stomach is not emptying the way it should. The woman was recommended to stop using semaglutide, and as a result, she reported "significant improvement in symptoms at one-month follow-up after stopping semaglutide, with complete resolution of nausea".

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has launched a big initiative to improve healthcare for future generations. Teaming up with the Emirati Genome Council, they've started one of the world's most comprehensive Newborn Genetic Screening Programmes.

Genetic health problems can be difficult to predict and can be passed onto the child, even if the parents did not have symptoms themselves. Many times, these disorders or diseases do not surface until later in life. Here is where genetic screenings and tests come into play. These help us predict any future issues and tackle them head-on.

Instead of treating every patient the same way, this program is designed to deliver a more personal and precise kind of healthcare. It uses advanced genetic technology to look at a person's unique DNA. This allows doctors to catch health conditions much earlier than before, sometimes even before a baby is born.

By finding these issues so early, doctors can provide special, tailored treatments. This means the care a child receives is not a generic plan, but one created specifically for their needs. This approach leads to better results because it gets to the root of the problem right away.

What Is Genetic Screening?

According to National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) It is a process that look at a large group of people to find a smaller group who might be at higher risk for a specific genetic disease. This higher-risk group might either have the disease themselves, be at risk of developing it later, or have a chance of passing it on to their children.

Can We Predict Health Problems?

This program screens for over 815 treatable childhood genetic conditions by looking at a baby's entire genetic makeup, called whole genome sequencing. This makes it one of the most thorough programs of its kind. It's already started at Kanad Hospital and Danat Al Emarat Hospital, where they use advanced technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to find conditions that might not be obvious at birth but could become a serious problem later.

The plan is to eventually screen all children of UAE nationals and Emirati mothers born in Abu Dhabi. This is done by collecting a small cord blood sample at birth with the parents' permission. The screening looks for many different issues, including problems with a baby's metabolism, immune system, blood, and rare diseases like Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which can now be treated.

Can Genetic Screening Lead Us Towards Healthy Future?

Parents will get the results within 21 days. If the screening finds anything concerning, a counselor will meet with the family to explain the findings and connect them with specialists for further care.

To make sure the program is a success, the DoH has worked closely with experts. They've held workshops to prepare everyone involved. They also trained 16 pediatricians and neonatologists from Corniche Hospital, Danat Al Emarat, and Kanad Hospital on genetic counseling and why this screening is so important. They also made sure that obstetricians, midwives, nurses, and technical staff at these hospitals were fully prepared.

This program is a key part of Abu Dhabi's bigger goal to use genomics for family health. This includes existing programs like premarital screening. These efforts are all about preventing genetic diseases, helping families make informed decisions, and giving children early access to the care they need. The ultimate aim is to create a healthcare system where personalized, preventative care is the norm, ensuring a healthier future for everyone.

Two years after the United States approved its first over-the-counter (OTC) birth control pill, new research shows that the medication is being widely used by people who previously struggled to access contraception.

The findings, published Monday in JAMA Network Open, offer one of the earliest looks at how the pill, known as Opill has reshaped reproductive health choices.

Who All Are Turning to OTC Contraception

The study included 986 people between the ages of 15 and 45, living across 44 states. All participants had obtained Opill either online or at a local pharmacy.

Researchers found a significant shift in contraceptive use among these individuals. Many had previously relied on less effective birth control methods, such as condoms or emergency contraception, while others had used no birth control at all.

The data showed a 31.8% point increase in contraceptive use among those who had previously used no birth control and a 41% point increase among those who switched from less effective options.

“This is one of the first studies to show that over-the-counter birth control pills are reaching the very people they’re meant to help, those who face the greatest barriers to care,” said lead author Dr. Maria Rodriguez, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

Who Benefits Most? Younger, Rural, and Uninsured Populations

The research found that people opting for OTC birth control were more likely to be uninsured, live in rural areas, and be in the younger age in the bracket of 15 to 20 years old.

The top reason participants gave for choosing Opill was convenience: it did not require a doctor’s appointment. For many, that was critical, as some did not have a regular physician at all.

“At a time when pregnancy is becoming even more dangerous in the United States, especially for people of color, those with low incomes and those living in rural communities, our findings underscore that OTC contraception is a powerful tool for reproductive autonomy,” Rodriguez said in a news release.

ALSO READ: US To Destroy 9.7 Million In Birth Control, The Plan Could Trigger Spike in Unsafe Abortions, Say Experts

Why the FDA Approved Opill

Opill, manufactured by Perrigo, is a progestin-only pill that became the first daily contraceptive in the U.S. available without a prescription when the Food and Drug Administration approved it in 2023.

At the time, the FDA emphasized the move’s potential to expand access, noting that nearly half of the 6.1 million pregnancies in the U.S. each year are unintended. Public health experts argued that making birth control available without prescription could help reduce those numbers and provide more autonomy to individuals who face systemic barriers in health care.

Outside Experts See Major Public Health Implications

The study’s findings drew attention from other health experts, who agreed that the shift could have far-reaching consequences.

“While greater access to contraception without prescriptions can be life-changing for women with limited resources, it also highlights how deeply the repercussions of unplanned pregnancies still ripple through health care systems and communities,” said Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB/GYN and chief medical officer of the online health company Hers, in an interview with CBS News.

Unplanned pregnancies, she noted, are often associated with higher maternal and infant health risks, financial strain, and long-term socioeconomic challenges. Those burdens, Shepherd added, fall most heavily on women already navigating barriers to care.

READ MORE: How Abortion Policies Have Changed Across States Since Dobbs Ruling?

A Step Toward Greater Reproductive Autonomy

For now, experts say the early data is promising and demonstrates that Opill is fulfilling its intended role: reaching those who need reliable contraception the most.

As debates over reproductive rights continue across the U.S., researchers say the success of Opill could also pave the way for additional contraceptive methods to be made available without a prescription, expanding access even further.

When Covid-19 initially emerged, most of the world's attention was on its up-front effects- respiratory distress, loss of taste and smell, and the sheer tidal wave of hospitalization. But almost five years into the pandemic, researchers are discovering a much more subtle effect-Covid could be advancing the aging of the cardiovascular system, raising the risk of heart attack and stroke in the background even after patients recover.

A fresh global study in the European Heart Journal indicates that catching Covid may speed up blood vessel ageing by up to five years. Vascular stiffening was strongest in women, with new concerns over sex-based risks and long-term health outcomes of the virus.

Dangerous Hidden Side Effect of Covid Infection

The research, known as the CARTESIAN study, evaluated nearly 2,400 participants from 16 countries between 2020 and 2022. Participants were divided into four groups: those who had never contracted Covid, those who had Covid but were never hospitalized, those hospitalized on a general ward, and those who required intensive care.

To measure the health of their arteries, scientists used a tool that assesses carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV)—a measure of how fast blood pressure waves travel through the body. The faster the wave moves, the stiffer and “older” the arteries are considered to be. PWV is a reliable predictor of cardiovascular health and future risk of events like stroke or heart attack.

Measurements were taken six months after infection and repeated at the 12-month mark. Across all groups, researchers observed that patients who had been infected with Covid showed stiffer arteries than those who never contracted the virus.

Why Women Are At Higher Risk?

The study’s most striking finding was how differently Covid affected men and women. Women with even mild Covid showed an average PWV increase of 0.55 meters per second.

Hospitalized women recorded an increase of 0.60. Women who had been admitted to the ICU saw a surge of 1.09.

These increases are not just academic. An acceleration of 0.5 meters per second is considered clinically significant, equating to about five years of vascular ageing. For a 60-year-old woman, that change translates into a three percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes.

Men, by contrast, did not exhibit statistically significant vascular changes. Lead author Professor Rosa Maria Bruno of Université Paris Cité explained the likely reason, “Women mount a more rapid and robust immune response, which can protect them from infection. However, this same response can also increase damage to blood vessels after the initial infection.”

In other words, the very strength of the female immune system may paradoxically expose women to greater long-term risks after Covid.

Protective Role of Vaccination

The study also highlighted another crucial factor: vaccination.

Vaccinated women showed less stiffening in their arteries compared with their unvaccinated counterparts, and their vascular symptoms stabilized over time. While men didn’t show the same measurable benefit in PWV reduction, vaccination still appears to offer indirect protection by preventing severe disease and hospitalizations, which were correlated with worse outcomes.

This aligns with earlier evidence suggesting that vaccines not only reduce the risk of contracting Covid but may also blunt some of the lingering cardiovascular effects of the virus.

Why Blood Vessels Age Due To Covid Infection?

Covid is often thought of as a respiratory illness, but the virus has long been known to attack blood vessels directly. The culprit lies in ACE2 receptors, which line the inside of blood vessels and serve as gateways for the virus to enter cells. Once inside, Covid can trigger inflammation and damage to vascular tissue.

Over time, this damage results in stiffer arteries—an early warning sign of cardiovascular disease. Unlike symptoms such as cough or fever, vascular ageing can occur silently, without obvious warning until it manifests as a serious cardiac event.

The vascular ageing discovery adds to a growing list of long-term complications associated with Covid, from brain fog and chronic fatigue to lung scarring and diabetes risk. What makes this new finding particularly concerning is its potential scale.

Cardiovascular disease is already the leading cause of death worldwide. If Covid is accelerating vascular ageing across millions of people—especially women—the global burden of heart attack and stroke could rise significantly in the years ahead.

Professor Bruno underscored this urgency:

“If that is happening, we need to identify who is at risk at an early stage to prevent heart attacks and strokes.”

Why Is There A Gender Divide in Covid Outcomes?

Throughout the pandemic, gender differences in Covid outcomes have puzzled researchers. Men were more likely to die from acute Covid infection, yet women appear to face greater long-term risks from conditions like long Covid and, now, vascular ageing.

This paradox may reflect differences in immune system behavior. Women’s stronger immune responses provide better initial protection but may lead to more sustained inflammation—a double-edged sword that continues damaging the body even after the infection clears.

What Can Women Do To Stay safe?

While the research continues to evolve, several practical takeaways emerge from this study:

Stay up to date on vaccination: Protection against severe Covid seems to reduce the risk of long-term vascular consequences, especially for women.

Prioritize cardiovascular screening: People who have had Covid—particularly those with persistent symptoms—may benefit from blood pressure checks, vascular assessments, and cardiac monitoring.

Adopt heart-healthy habits: Exercise, balanced nutrition, and avoiding smoking remain powerful tools to offset vascular ageing.

Pay attention to symptoms: Shortness of breath, chest pain, or unexplained fatigue after Covid should be evaluated promptly by a healthcare professional.

Just last month, a new Covid variant, the Stratus strain, emerged in the UK, accounting for nearly one-third of cases. With its ability to partially evade immunity and cause unusual symptoms such as hoarseness, the variant is a reminder that Covid continues to evolve.

If each wave of infection carries hidden long-term risks like vascular ageing, the urgency of global vaccination campaigns and ongoing surveillance becomes even clearer.