On June 6, U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania was selected by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to assume responsibility for the litigation involving Ozempic and other similar drugs following the sudden death of U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter on May 17. The litigation is focused on a class of drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs that were developed for the treatment of type-2 diabetes but are now widely used for weight management; they include Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity and Mounjaro. The drugs have been linked to a number of gastrointestinal conditions including gastroparesis, bowel obstruction and cyclic vomiting syndrome; there is expected to ultimately be more than 10,000 cases in which the plaintiffs allege that the drug manufacturers failed to warn patients about these risks. In May, in response to the plaintiffs’ allegations, the drug manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly supported the creation of the MDL and submitted a joint statement, outlining their anticipated defenses to the plaintiffs’ claims and noting the benefits of the various medications.
The litigation was consolidated into an MDL in February, 2024 and leadership was appointed in late April. Science Day, originally scheduled for June 14 was cancelled pending the reassignment of the MDL to Judge Marston.
Resources
https://www.lawsuit-information-center.com/ozempic-gastroparesis-lawsuit.html
https://www.drugwatch.com/news/2024/05/21/judge-in-ozempic-mdl-dies-what-comes-next/
https://www.law360.com/articles/1845718/ozempic-mdl-gets-new-judge-after-judge-pratter-s-death
https://www.law360.com/articles/1838849/pa-federal-district-judge-gene-pratter-dead-at-75
