Mounjaro Lawsuits

Mounjaro is a diabetes drug manufactured by Eli Lilly. Recently, Mounjaro (and similar drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy) have become widely used for weight loss and weight management in obese patients. New evidence has emerged, however, showing that using higher doses of Mounjaro for weight loss can cause serious health problems involving the gallbladder and the gastrointestinal system. Mounjaro use has been linked to gallbladder disease, gallstones, gastroparesis (stomach paralysis), and other stomach conditions.

Eli Lilly apparently knew about these dangerous risks associated with Mounjaro but failed to warn doctors and patients about them. Individuals who used Mounjaro and suffered some of these injuries are now bringing Mounjaro product liability lawsuits. The national mass tort lawyers at Miller & Zois are investigating new Mounjaro injury cases. If you took Mounjaro for weight loss and suffered gastroparesis, contact us for a free case evaluation. Call us at 800-553-8082.Mounjaro Lawsuit Updates

Before we launch into the nuts and bolt of these Mounjaro gastroparesis lawsuits, let’s look a the latest news and updates in the litigation:

October 25, 2024: In a new lawsuit filed Monday in the MDL, a Tulsa, Oklahoma resident alleges serious injuries from using Mounjaro. The plaintiff, who used Mounjaro between September and December 2023, claims she subsequently developed gastroparesis.

The complaint contends that Eli Lilly marketed and distributed Mounjaro without adequate warnings of the heightened risks of severe gastrointestinal side effects, including gastroparesis, despite knowledge of the potential for these risks. The plaintiff alleges that Eli Lilly’s product labeling and promotional materials failed to sufficiently warn prescribing physicians and consumers about these risks. This lack of transparency allegedly deprived her physician of the necessary information to make an informed prescription decision and to monitor for early symptoms of gastroparesis.

September 4, 2024: The Ozempic / Mounjaro class action MDL more than doubled in size during the month of August. Over 500 new plaintiffs were added to the MDL in August, increasing the size of the MDL from 346 to 869 pending cases.

August 19, 2024:  The court has granted the defendants’ request for early discovery and motion practice on two key issues:

1. The reliability of diagnostic tests for gastroparesis, and
2. The adequacy of the warning labels provided by the manufacturers.

The court agreed that these “cross-cutting” issues are central to the case and could have a significant impact on the scope of the claims.

Specifically, the court will examine whether gastroparesis can be reliably diagnosed without objective testing and whether the FDA-approved warning labels meet federal law standards, potentially preempting state law claims.

Further briefings have been requested on a third issue—general causation—to determine whether GLP-1 receptor agonists are capable of causing the alleged injuries. A ruling on this matter has been postponed pending the submission of additional information. A comprehensive scheduling order will be set following the next status conference on September 16, 2024, during which the parties will propose deadlines for discovery and motions on the approved issues.

March 8, 2024: The first status conference in the new Mounjaro class action MDL in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has been scheduled for March 14, 2024. This conference will be the first opportunity for MDL Judge Gene E.K. Pratter to set the framework for how he is going to handle this litigation moving forward.

June 5, 2024: A new study has identified a link between semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a type of eye stroke that leads to sudden vision loss. Semaglutide is also found in medications like Ozempic.

The study analyzed data from over 16,800 patients at university hospitals who were managing diabetes or weight. Researchers compared those taking semaglutide with patients using medications from other drug classes. Among type 2 diabetes patients, 8.9% of those on semaglutide experienced NAION, a significantly higher rate compared to just 1.8% of patients using other diabetes treatments.

February 9, 2024: A new research study was released which further confirms that using GLP-1 receptor antagonist drugs like Mounjaro, Wegovy and Ozempic often results in significant gastrointestinal problems and digestive issues.  The study found that these issues are much more common and more significant when patients use these drugs at higher doses for weight loss.

December 1, 2023: A group of plaintiffs filed a motion asking the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to consolidate all lawsuits related to Mounjaro, Ozempic and Wegovy to be consolidated into a new class action MDL. There are currently around 20 of these cases pending in federal courts across the country, but hundreds more are expected to be filed.

October 31, 2023:  A Louisiana woman filed a lawsuit that that alleges that she faced severe gastrointestinal problems after using Ozempic, prior to using Mounjaro. Her contention primarily revolves around the adequacy of warnings given about potential severe symptoms. The drug manufacturer’s reference to the FDA-approved label for Mounjaro, which mentions potential severe gastrointestinal reactions, is also part of the dispute.

Her lawsuit points out that the medical literature describes the symptoms of gastroparesis and argues Eli Lilly had an obligation to warn her and her doctors of the risk of the drug. 

Annoyingly, Lilly seems to argue that it is widely known in the medical community that drugs like Mounjaro can cause these complications.  But why not put it on the label?  

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About Mounjaro

Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a product of Eli Lilly and Company, is a pioneering FDA-approved medication for type 2 diabetes treatment that targets both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors, receiving approval in May 2022.

These receptors are linked to GLP-1 and GIP hormones, which the intestines produce post-consumption and are crucial in blood sugar regulation. Specifically, GLP-1 triggers insulin release while suppressing glucagon release, whereas GIP stimulates the release of both insulin and glucagon. Mounjaro operates by simulating the actions of these hormones: promoting insulin release, constraining glucagon release, and decelerating food digestion, thereby reducing post-meal blood sugar spikes.

This admittedly innovative drug addresses the global demand for more potent and safe type 2 diabetes solutions, a prevalent disease marked by elevated blood sugar that can, over time, harm the body’s nerves, vessels, and organs. Clinical studies have indicated Mounjaro’s superior efficacy in blood sugar reduction compared to other diabetes treatments, including metformin and insulin.

Although Mounjaro was only approved as a diabetes drug, it became very popular among doctors for weight loss treatment and management in obese patients. This type of “off-label” use for weight loss also became popular for similar diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. The Mounjaro lawsuits our attorneys are focused on here will likely be primarily lawsuits where the drug was used for weight loss as opposed to diabetes.

Mounjaro Can Cause Gastrointestinal and Gallbladder Problems

A growing body of research has shown that using Mounjaro can cause severe gastrointestinal and gallbladder health conditions. The risk of this issue is exceptionally high when using Mounjaro for weight loss, which involves higher doses.

Mounjaro has been linked to the following health conditions, which can be very serious and even life-threatening.

• Gastroparesis: Also known as “stomach paralysis,” a medical condition in which the muscles in the stomach stop moving normally. Individuals with gastroparesis experience a slowdown or complete failure of stomach motility, resulting in improper stomach emptying. This can be an excruciating and potentially serious condition that can lead to other internal complications. This is really the signature injury of this litigation.  The vast majority of the lawsuits involve gastroparesis and it could be the the litigation gets winnowed down to just gastroparesis at some point.
• Gastroenteritis This is an infection and inflammation in the digestive system that causes stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. The most concerning complication of gastroenteritis is dehydration.
• Gallbladder Disease: Mounjaro and similar drugs have been linked to gallbladder disease. This involves chronic gallbladder inflammation and the development of gallstones and other problems. It can be very painful and, in some cases, require surgical removal of the gallbladder.

The FDA has released a prominent boxed warning concerning Mounjaro, highlighting its potential risk for gallbladder disease. This type of warning represents the highest level of alert provided by the FDA.  So the failure to warn Mounjaro lawsuits will focus on claims where the injuries were before the warning was placed on the product.

Mounjaro Linked to Stomach Paralysis

New research has also shown that using Mounjaro can cause a dangerous and potentially life-threatening condition called stomach paralysis (gastroparesis). Several recent studies have found that individuals who used Mounjaro at high doses for extended time periods had a significantly higher rate of gastroparesis. There is also evidence to suggest that the drug manufacturer knew or should have know about this potential risk, but failed to warn doctors and consumers about it.

What is Stomach Paralysis?

Stomach paralysis, also known as gastroparesis, is a condition where the stomach’s normal movement to push food into the small intestine is slowed down or completely stopped. Normally, the muscles in the stomach contract to help move food through the digestive tract. In gastroparesis, this process is impaired, leading to poor stomach emptying.

Stomach paralysis symptoms include:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Feeling full after eating small amounts
• Bloating
• Abdominal pain
• Acid reflux
• Weight loss

Gastric Emptying Study to Prove Gastroparesis

A battlefield in this litigation will be proving that the plaintiff has or had gastroparesis. A gastric emptying study is on possible path to that proof.

A gastric emptying study is a specialized test that measures the rate at which food leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine. Typically, the study involves a patient consuming a small meal laced with a safe, traceable radioactive substance. As the meal moves through the digestive system, images are taken at various intervals using a gamma camera, allowing doctors to observe and quantify how long it takes for the stomach to empty. This test is the primary method for diagnosing gastroparesis and other conditions related to delayed gastric emptying.

The results from a gastric emptying study provide an objective measurement of stomach function. Physicians review images taken at different intervals—often every 15 to 30 minutes over a few hours— to track the rate at which food exits the stomach. If the stomach retains more than 10% of the meal after four hours, gastroparesis is usually diagnosed. This diagnostic precision is particularly useful because we know that a part of the problem of proof is that gastroparesis symptoms overlap with other gastrointestinal issues, making it challenging to identify without direct, measurable evidence.  Without this test, defendants will point to every possible cause of these symptoms under the sun.

So this test gives us an understanding the exact speed of gastric emptying is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment. By quantifying the delay. For for litigation purposes, the gastric emptying study provides tangible evidence linking delayed stomach function to potential external factors.

Mounjaro Lawsuits

A growing number of Mounjaro product liability lawsuits are now being filed nationwide. These lawsuits are being filed by individuals who used Mounjaro for weight loss and subsequently suffered some of the gastrointestinal or gallbladder injuries described above.

The Mounjaro lawsuits are based primarily on failure to warn. They allege that Eli Lilly knew (or should have known) that regular use of Mounjaro at higher doses could cause health problems like gastroparesis or gallbladder disease. Despite this knowledge, the lawsuits claim that Eli Lilly failed to include any warning about these particular risks on the drug label for Mounjaro. As a result, doctors and patients were unaware of this potential risk associated with Mounjaro.

Mounjaro Class Action Lawsuit

As of October 2024, there is a Mounjaro “class action” or MDL.  Mounjaro lawsuits in federal court are consolidated into a class action MDL soon. T

So all Mounjaro lawsuits pending in federal courts nationwide are consolidated before a single judge in Pennsylvania.  The consolidated cases are now in a collective discovery phase. At the end of the discovery phase, a handful of representative cases will be selected from the group for trial. These are known as bellwether trials. The test trial results are supposed to give the parties an idea of what to expect if all the cases go to trial so that they can negotiate a global settlement.

Estimated Settlement Amounts for a Mounjaro Lawsuit

At this early stage, it is almost impossible to estimate the settlement value of Mounjaro lawsuits with any real accuracy. The biggest unknown is whether the scientific evidence behind these cases will hold up in court. That is always a big question in pharmaceutical cases like this.

So it has to be said that any estimated settlement amounts or jury payout for a Mounjaro lawsuit is highly speculative. But our lawyers can offer an educated guess as to the settlement value of these cases if we make several assumptions about how things will play out.  Because people want to know what Mounjaro lawyers are thinking about settlement amounts.  Are these cases thought to be worth $10,000 or $10 million.  We are just trying to give you our take based on some speculative assumptions we are making.

With that preface, our attorneys believe that a successful Mounjaro lawsuit could have a settlement value range of $150,000 to $300,000. This is lower than our value estimate for the Ozempic lawsuits primarily because Mounjaro has been on the market for a shorter time. That means Mounjaro plaintiffs will have less exposure to the drug than Ozempic plaintiffs, making the Mounjaro cases somewhat weaker.

Hire a Lawyer for Your Mounjaro Lawsuit

If you think Mounjaro injured you and want to look into filing a Mounjaro lawsuit, the first thing you need to do is hire a lawyer. Contact our lawyers today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.