Ozempic Lawsuit Update (November 2026): Status, Settlement, Who Qualifies

The Ozempic lawsuit is a group of more than 4,000 personal injury cases claiming that Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly failed to warn patients that GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro can cause severe stomach and bowel injuries. A second, smaller group of cases claims the drugs can cause sudden vision loss. This guide explains where every part of the Ozempic litigation stands, who may qualify, what evidence matters and why no settlement has been paid.

What the GLP-1 lawsuits are about

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a once-weekly injection approved to treat type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a class called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which mimic a gut hormone that lowers blood sugar, reduces appetite and slows how fast the stomach empties. That slowing effect is part of why the drugs work for weight loss. It is also the center of the lawsuits.

Plaintiffs say that for some people the slowing goes too far, leading to gastroparesis (a stomach that barely empties), ileus (intestines that stop moving) or a blocked bowel. Their main legal claim is failure to warn: that Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly knew or should have known about these risks and did not explain them clearly enough on the label or to doctors. Many plaintiffs say that with a clear warning they would have chosen a different treatment or stopped sooner.

The first widely reported case was filed on August 2, 2023, when Jaclyn Bjorklund of Louisiana sued Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, describing severe vomiting, hospital visits and lost teeth after using Ozempic and Mounjaro. Hundreds of similar cases followed, and the federal courts grouped them together in early 2024.

Drugs and companies involved in the Ozempic litigation

The litigation is often called the “Ozempic lawsuit,” but it covers several GLP-1 drugs from two manufacturers.

Many people used Ozempic “off label” for weight loss before Wegovy was widely available. Off-label use does not by itself stop someone from bringing a claim, but how and why the drug was prescribed can matter to how a case is valued.

Ozempic lawsuit injuries and where each is filed

Different injuries are handled in different courts. This is the part most pages get wrong, so here is the current picture:

New Jersey also runs its own state-court cases, split into one group for gastrointestinal injuries and one for NAION (see the timeline below).

Is there an Ozempic class action lawsuit?

Not in the United States. Many websites say “Ozempic class action,” but the U.S. cases are individual lawsuits in a multidistrict litigation (MDL). The difference matters:

• Class action: one or a few people sue on behalf of everyone in a defined group, and each member usually gets a share of one settlement through a claim form.
• MDL: each injured person files their own case. A single judge handles shared steps such as evidence exchange and expert rulings, then cases may go back to their home courts for trial. Any settlement is usually valued person by person, based on injuries and medical records.

So you cannot “sign up” for the Ozempic lawsuit through a public form. People who want to bring a claim do it through a lawyer who files a case in their name. In Canada, by contrast, a proposed class action was filed (see below).

GLP-1 litigation timeline

• August 2, 2023Jaclyn Bjorklund files the first widely reported GLP-1 stomach-injury lawsuit in Louisiana.
• September 2023The FDA-approved Ozempic label adds ileus to its list of reactions reported after approval.
• October 2023A study in JAMA links GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss to higher risks of pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and gastroparesis. A proposed class action is filed in British Columbia, Canada.
• February 2, 2024The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) creates MDL No. 3094 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
• June 2024The case is reassigned to Judge Karen S. Marston after Judge Gene E.K. Pratter’s death.
• July 2024A JAMA Ophthalmology study reports a link between semaglutide and NAION.
• November 2024Plaintiffs file their master complaint.
• December 12, 2024The JPML adds Saxenda cases but refuses to add blood-clot (DVT) claims.
• June 2025The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee concludes NAION is a very rare side effect of semaglutide.
• August 15, 2025The court requires gastroparesis claims to rest on a gastric emptying study and finds design-defect claims preempted.
• October 16, 2025New Jersey creates two GLP-1 multicounty litigations in Bergen County.
• December 15, 2025The JPML creates a separate NAION MDL, No. 3163, before Judge Marston.
• April 30, 2026Case Management Order 32 sets the expert (Rule 702) and summary-judgment schedule.
• September 2026The court holds a multi-day Rule 702 hearing on the experts.
• October 2026Closing arguments on the expert motions. The NAION MDL’s master complaint deadline is October 28.
• November 2, 20264,082 cases pending in MDL 3094 and 278 in MDL 3163.

Key court rulings in the Ozempic MDL

Gastroparesis needs a gastric emptying study

On August 15, 2025, Judge Marston ruled that anyone claiming gastroparesis must show the diagnosis is based on a properly performed gastric emptying study, such as gastric scintigraphy, a breath test or a wireless motility capsule. A diagnosis based only on symptoms is not enough. Two plaintiff experts who argued otherwise were excluded. This was one of the most important early rulings because many people were diagnosed from symptoms alone and never had the test.

Design-defect claims are preempted

The same day, the court ruled that claims saying the drugs were defectively designed are blocked by federal law (preemption), because the companies could not change the FDA-approved formula on their own. Claims based on the label and warnings, plus some warranty and negligence claims, were allowed to continue. That makes failure to warn the core of the litigation.

Blood clot claims left out

On December 12, 2024, the JPML refused to send a deep vein thrombosis case into the MDL, saying that adding new types of injuries would significantly complicate the litigation. The same day it confirmed that Saxenda cases belong in MDL 3094.

The Rule 702 hearing: what comes next

Under Federal Rule of Evidence 702, a judge must decide whether expert testimony is reliable enough for a jury. In mass torts this is often the biggest turning point. Case Management Order 32 set a hearing for September 2026 on the “cross-cutting issues” that apply to almost every case, including whether the plaintiffs’ experts can say GLP-1 drugs can cause these injuries (general causation) and whether the warnings were adequate. Summary-judgment motions from both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are pending alongside it.

What the ruling could mean:

• If the key plaintiff experts are allowed: the cases move toward bellwether trials, which are test cases that show how juries react. Settlement talks often get serious at this stage.
• If key experts are excluded: the companies are likely to seek dismissal of large groups of cases, and plaintiffs would likely appeal. Payouts would become much less likely or much further away.
• A split result (some injuries or drugs allowed, others not) is also possible and would narrow who can continue.

No bellwether or trial date has been set. Realistically, the earliest trials would come in 2027 or later.

Ozempic vision loss (NAION) lawsuits

Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is a sudden loss of blood flow to the optic nerve. It usually causes painless vision loss in one eye, often noticed on waking, and the damage is frequently permanent.

On December 15, 2025, the JPML created MDL No. 3163 for NAION claims against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, with 21 cases at the start. It kept these separate from the stomach cases but assigned them to Judge Marston so she can coordinate the two. By November 2, 2026, the NAION MDL had grown to 278 cases.

This MDL is at an earlier stage. The court has appointed a special discovery master, and the schedule set in August 2026 calls for a master complaint in late October 2026, discovery through early 2027, and expert and summary-judgment motions in mid-2027. Trials, if any, would follow after that. New Jersey runs a separate NAION multicounty litigation in Bergen County.

What the research and regulators say about Ozempic side effects

Stomach and bowel injuries

A study published in JAMA in October 2023 (Sodhi and colleagues) compared people using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss with people using bupropion-naltrexone. GLP-1 users had a higher risk of pancreatitis (hazard ratio 9.09), bowel obstruction (4.22) and gastroparesis (3.67). The authors noted these events are still rare in absolute terms. The study included 613 semaglutide users and 4,144 liraglutide users.

In September 2023 the Ozempic label added ileus to its list of reactions reported after approval. The label notes that for these reports it is not always possible to estimate how often they happen or prove the drug caused them.

Vision loss

A July 2024 study in JAMA Ophthalmology from Mass Eye and Ear found higher NAION rates among semaglutide users at one specialty clinic: a hazard ratio of 4.28 in people with type 2 diabetes and 7.64 in people with overweight or obesity. Because it was observational and from a single clinic, it could not prove the drug caused NAION.

In June 2025, the European Medicines Agency’s safety committee (PRAC) concluded that NAION is a very rare side effect of semaglutide, affecting up to 1 in 10,000 people, and recommended adding it to European labels. The World Health Organization issued a related notice later that month. Regulators in the UK and Australia have since added NAION warnings. Law firms tracking the U.S. labels report that, as of autumn 2026, the U.S. labels for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound did not include a NAION warning. That gap is central to the U.S. failure-to-warn claims.

Important: these studies show associations, and the risks are small for most users. Do not stop or change a prescribed GLP-1 drug without talking to your doctor.

Ozempic lawsuit settlement status and amounts

There is no Ozempic settlement. No settlement fund exists, no court has approved any payout amounts and there is no official claim form.

The “$2 billion Ozempic settlement” is not real

Posts about a “$2 billion Ozempic lawsuit” or “$2 billion settlement” trace back to analysts’ rough estimates in 2025 of what the litigation might eventually cost. Social media later turned those projections into claims of an actual lawsuit or settlement. Neither exists.

Estimated Ozempic settlement amounts

Some plaintiff law firms publish their own projections, for example placing NAION vision-loss claims well above gastroparesis claims. These are guesses, not figures from any settlement, verdict or court. If a settlement does happen, individual amounts would most likely depend on:

• Injury type and severity: permanent vision loss or surgery for a bowel obstruction would typically be valued above temporary symptoms.
• Strength of the diagnosis: for gastroparesis, a gastric emptying study is effectively required.
• Timing: how soon symptoms started after beginning the drug, and whether they improved after stopping.
• Other health factors: diabetes itself can cause gastroparesis, so pre-existing conditions can lower a claim’s value.
• Costs and losses: hospital bills, lost wages and long-term care.
• Which drug and company: Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly could settle separately and on different terms.

From any recovery, lawyers’ contingency fees and case costs come out first, along with a “common benefit” assessment that MDLs often use to pay the lawyers who led the shared work.

Who qualifies to file a claim?

There is no official eligibility list, because there is no settlement. Based on the court’s rulings, the people with the strongest claims generally:

• Used a brand-name GLP-1 drug (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Saxenda, Victoza, Mounjaro, Zepbound or Trulicity) with prescription or pharmacy records to prove it.
• Were diagnosed with gastroparesis confirmed by a gastric emptying study, or with ileus, intestinal obstruction or pseudo-obstruction, ideally documented by a hospital visit, imaging or surgery.
• Or were diagnosed with NAION by an eye specialist after starting a GLP-1 drug.
• Developed the injury while using the drug or soon after.
• Are still within their state’s filing deadline.

Ordinary side effects such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea that eased with time or a lower dose usually do not support a lawsuit. Switching between drugs, for example from Ozempic to Mounjaro, does not automatically disqualify you, but your lawyer will need records of each one.

Evidence you need for an Ozempic claim

1. Proof of use: pharmacy records, prescriptions, insurance claims or receipts showing which drug, the dose and the dates.
2. The diagnosis: the gastric emptying study report (scintigraphy, breath test or wireless motility capsule), imaging that shows an obstruction or ileus, or an ophthalmologist’s NAION diagnosis.
3. Treatment records: emergency visits, hospital admissions, surgery, feeding tubes, medications and follow-up care.
4. A timeline: when you started the drug, dose increases, when symptoms began and what happened after stopping.
5. Your losses: medical bills, missed work and how the injury affects daily life.

If you have symptoms but no gastric emptying study, ask your doctor whether one is medically appropriate. Never seek a test just for a lawsuit.

Ozempic lawsuit filing deadlines and lawyer fees

Every state has a statute of limitations for personal injury and product liability claims, commonly between two and six years. Many states apply a “discovery rule,” which starts the clock when you knew or should have known the drug may have caused your injury, rather than when you first took it. Because these rules vary and the dates can be argued, a licensed lawyer in your state is the only reliable way to know your deadline.

Lawyers handling Ozempic cases almost always work on contingency: they are paid a percentage of any recovery, often around one third, and nothing if you lose. Ask in writing how case costs and any MDL common-benefit fees are handled. Be wary of anyone asking for money up front.

What Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly say

• The risks were disclosed. The companies say their labels already describe gastrointestinal side effects, and that gastroparesis is a known complication of diabetes itself.
• Diagnoses must be objective. Novo Nordisk argued that symptom-only gastroparesis diagnoses are unreliable, and the court agreed in August 2025.
• Federal preemption. They argue state-law claims are blocked where the FDA controls the label and formula. This already defeated the design-defect claims.
• Other causes. They point to diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions as possible causes of the injuries.
• Benefits outweigh risks. Both companies say their drugs are safe and effective when used as prescribed and as labeled.

Compounded semaglutide and the Canadian class action

Compounded semaglutide is a separate issue. During the official shortage, pharmacies and telehealth companies sold compounded versions. The FDA declared the semaglutide shortage resolved on February 21, 2025, and the grace periods for compounders ended in spring 2025. Novo Nordisk has since filed more than 100 lawsuits against compounders, med spas and online sellers. Those are business and trademark cases, not injury cases, and injuries from non-brand compounded products may not fit the MDL, which names the brand-name manufacturers.

In Canada, a proposed class action (Talbot v. Novo Nordisk Canada) was filed in British Columbia on October 6, 2023, over gastroparesis, intestinal obstruction, gallbladder disease and other injuries. We have not found a report that it has been certified.

What to do if you think Ozempic injured you

1. Talk to your doctor first. Do not stop or change your medication on your own.
2. Request your records from your pharmacy, doctors and any hospital.
3. Write down your timeline while you remember it.
4. Check your filing deadline with a licensed attorney in your state.
5. Ignore offers to “join the settlement” for a fee. There is no settlement to join.

What changed: November 8, 2026: expanded with the full timeline, injury-by-court table, research findings, eligibility, evidence, defenses and an expanded FAQ; added November 2 case counts. November 8, 2026: first published.