I get a veritable avalanche of breathless complaints from (probably obese) individuals when I write about semaglutide (marketed as Wegovy and Ozempic in the United States).  Their objections tend to go along the lines of "but muh pharma.  How else am I supposed to lose weight?"

The obeses call me a fascist — exercise and eating right now being apparently "right-wing."  They say I'm unempathetic and don't understand their plight for even suggesting they don't turn to expensive pharmaceutical products as their first-resort solution to their problems.

These people will do anything not to have to move their fat butts and moderate their carbohydrate intake — even if it messes up their thyroids  and causes anesthesia complications.

Now at least one American law firm is taking up the cases of individuals injured by these aggressively marketed "miracle" weight-loss drugs.  This is the first lawsuit I'm aware of, but it almost certainly won't be the last, given the side-effect profile of semaglutide.

Via CBS News:

"A personal injury law firm has filed a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and Co., the manufacturers of Ozempic and Mounjaro, over claims that the diabetes drugs, which are popular for aiding weight loss, can cause gastroparesis, a paralysis of the stomach.

Paul Pennock and Jonathan Sedgh, the attorneys heading up the lawsuit from the firm Morgan & Morgan, announced the filing at a news conference Wednesday, saying the basis of the suit is "a failure to warn."

"It is our opinion that these drugs are causing these problems. We think that the evidence is sufficient for us to be able to prove it or we would not have filed the case, and we intend to file many more in the coming days and weeks," Pennock said during the Zoom conference, noting the first case filed involves a 44-year-old woman from Louisiana who has taken both drugs, Ozempic first and then Mounjaro, at the discretion of her doctor.

"Her problems have been so severe that she's been to the emergency room multiple times, including last weekend. She's actually even thrown up so violently that she's lost teeth," he said of the plaintiff, who is seeking financial compensation, but has not yet been officially diagnosed with gastroparesis.

Pennock says his firm is investigating 400 other inquiries from clients across 45 states."

What's a little projectile vomiting so violent that it knocks teeth out when fast weight loss is on the line?  We'll see how a jury comes down on the cost-benefit analysis if this ever goes to trial (it'll probably be settled for P.R. purposes).

There are no one-shot, simple solutions for complex health issues, despite what sleazy drug pushers might claim.  We might have learned that lesson from a little multi-billion-dollar pill called OxyContin.

Ben Bartee, author of Broken English Teacher: Notes From Exile, is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs.

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