“He made a comment to me about how it’s painful to know he’s never going to get to see his wife smile again, but he knows her voice so well, he can tell when she is smiling,” said Jonathan Orent, an attorney with the litigation law firm Motley Rice.
A lawsuit claims that a Maryland man who took Ozempic, a drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes and accelerate weight loss, lost his sight and was declared legally blind after taking the medication.
According to NBC News, attorneys for plaintiff Todd Engel, 62, say that their client was prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to manage Type 2 diabetes. About four months after he began taking the medication, he was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, a condition that curtails blood flow to the optic nerve and can cause irreversible vision loss.
Some scientists believe that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, is associated with a measurably higher lifetime risk for contracting NAION.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in a New Jersey state court, claims that Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk was negligent in failing to warn patients and physicians about the risk of vision-related complications.
“Nothing was or is stopping Defendant from adding a warning regarding the risk of NAION,” the lawsuit states, noting that Novo Nordisk had access to trial information that identified cases of NAION among Ozempic recipients.
A spokesperson for Nova Nordisk has since said that NAION is not a byproduct or reaction to Ozempic. Nova Nordisk added that its position on semaglutides “remains unchanged” after conducting a thorough evaluation of studies by the University of Southern Denmark.
The company emphasized that it takes all reports and complaints of complications seriously.
“This also relates to eye conditions, which are well-known comorbidities for people living with diabetes,” Nova Nordisk said in a statement. “Any decision to start treatment with prescription-only medicines should be made in consultation with a healthcare professional who should do a benefit-risk evaluation for the patient in question, weighing up the benefits of treatment with the potential risks.”
But, earlier this year, a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggested a modestly increased risk of NAION in people who take Ozempic. The results were alarming enough that the study’s authors said further investigation was necessary.
An attorney for Engel said that NAION cost his client his job—and has taken a profound toll upon Engel’s mental health.
“He made a comment to me about how it’s painful to know he’s never going to get to see his wife smile again, but he knows her voice so well, he can tell when she is smiling,” said Jonathan Orent, an attorney with the litigation law firm Motley Rice.
“Hopefully his story will show there’s another side to this drug that has bought the reputation as being a miracle drug,” he said.
The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Sources
Lawsuit alleges Maryland man with diabetes became blind after taking Ozempic
Scientists Explain ‘Ozempic Blindness,’ Link Between Sudden Vision Loss and Weight Loss Drugs.
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