(Gray News) – Hundreds of patients have filed civil lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, accusing them of failing to warn promptly that their popular weight-loss and diabetes medications can cause blindness and irreversible eye damage.
According to a USA Today report, multiple lawsuits filed over the past year focus on non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The condition, caused by insufficient blood flow to the optic nerve, leads to sudden visual disturbances for which there is currently no treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The lawsuits, which involve drugs based on semaglutide, tirzepatide, and dulaglutide sold under brands such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, and Trulicity, contend that manufacturers should have foreseen this risk and informed consumers. In the United States, warning labels do not include this complication, although updated prospectuses in other countries do mention it.
Among the testimonies is that of a 63-year-old man who began taking Ozempic in 2023 to manage his diabetes. Four months later he woke up with no vision in one eye. Not understanding the origin of the problem, he continued the same treatment and lost sight in the other eye in 2024, becoming legally blind.
In remarks to NBC, Novo Nordisk said it would vigorously defend itself in court, while Eli Lilly asserted that patient safety remains their top priority. Both companies deny a significant link between their drugs and vision loss.
