U.S. patients who claim they lost their vision after taking obesity and diabetes treatments from the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) class, such as Wegovy, have filed lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 19th (local time), lawsuits seeking damages are underway in the U.S., with plaintiffs alleging that they developed "non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION)" after taking GLP-1 class drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound. The pharmaceutical companies facing these lawsuits are Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is a condition in which blood flow to the optic nerve decreases, causing sudden vision loss or impairment. In some cases, the damaged vision does not recover permanently.
Michelle Penell (53), who participated as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, experienced symptoms of heaviness and blurred vision in her right eye while working at her desk. She said her peripheral vision suddenly narrowed, making it feel as if she were looking into a fish tank, where only the front was visible while the right side and below were obscured.
She had started taking Ozempic two months prior for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and was subsequently diagnosed with non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy by her doctor. Her physician recommended immediately stopping the use of Ozempic to protect her remaining vision.
While some research results suggest that the risk of developing ischemic optic neuropathy may increase among patients taking specific GLP-1 class drugs, it has not yet been clearly established whether the drugs cause the condition or if there is a causal relationship.
Pharmaceutical companies are actively responding to the lawsuits, arguing that there is insufficient evidence that the drugs are the cause.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) determined in June of last year that non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy was a "very rare side effect" of semaglutide and recommended adding relevant warnings to the product information for semaglutide-containing medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
Related warnings or information have also been attached in the U.K., Japan, and Australia, among others. In Denmark, compensation has been paid to patients who experienced non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy after receiving Ozempic or Wegovy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been conducting an investigation since recognizing the possibility at the end of 2024. No separate warning has yet been attached to labels in the U.S.
in THEBIO
