Woman 'to have diarrhoea forever after weight loss drug caused brutal injury'

14 January 2024 , 17:06

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She will likely never have a solid bowel movement for the rest of her life (Image: Getty Images)

A woman who took Ozempic has been told by doctors she will be in pain for the rest of her life and will never have a solid bowel movement again.

Billie Farley is one of hundreds of people who have launched lawsuits against Novo Nordisk, the creators of Ozempic, alleging that they weren't aware of the serious side affects of the drug and that they have been left with permanent injuries.

In Farley's case, the 47-year-old alleges that she has been told "she will never had a solid bowel movement again for the rest of her life" after she was hospitalised with "a life-threatening bowel injury" in January 2023, just months after starting Ozempic in October 2022.

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It is licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes (Getty Images)

She was prescribed the drug off-label for weight loss. According to her complaint, obtained by the DailyMail: "'Approximately three months after she began Ozempic, she started vomiting and having intense abdominal pain." A CT revealed the extent of her injuries. Farley alleges that she was told by the doctors that "Ozempic had been the probable cause of her bowel injuries and to stop taking it immediately."

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She has been told that she will likely be in pain for the rest of her life, and will not have solid bowel movements again. She alleges the label "'failed to adequately warn [her] and her medical provider of the true risks of taking Ozempic" and that "Her life is forever changed because of her usage of Ozempic."

Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, is facing lawsuits from people across America. Many of the lawsuits claim that people have suffered gastroparesis as a result of the drugs which are licensed for treatment of type 2 diabetes but are often prescribed off-license for weight loss.

The lawsuits claim that Novo Nordisk failed to properly warn of the risk of gastroparesis on the drugs' packaging.

The lawsuits claim that Novo Nordisk failed to properly warn of the risk of gastroparesis on the drugs' packaging (AFP via Getty Images)

The FDA told DailyMail.com it does not comment on ongoing litigations but added it monitors drugs even after their approval. It added: "If newly identified safety signals are identified, the FDA will determine what actions are appropriate after a thorough review of the body of evidence," the FDA said.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, Novo Nordisk said: "Novo Nordisk believes that the allegations in the lawsuit 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.

"GLP-1 medicines have been used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) for more than 18 years, and for the treatment of obesity for 8 years. This includes Novo Nordisk GLP-1 products such as semaglutide and liraglutide that have been on the market for more than 13 years. Semaglutide has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real world evidence studies and has cumulatively over 9.5 million patient years of exposure.

"The known risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labeling. Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional."

Lydia Stephens