Novo Nordisk is facing a growing class-action-style investigation tied to reports that some users of semaglutide drugs—Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus—experienced sudden vision changes or loss potentially consistent with non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). NAION is a condition in which reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, sometimes causing painless, abrupt blindness in one eye (often noticed upon waking) and, according to allegations, leaving little or no effective way to reverse the damage. Claimants contend the onset occurred while taking semaglutide or shortly after stopping it, raising questions about whether these widely used GLP-1 medications could elevate NAION risk in certain patients.

The investigation and related lawsuits were initiated because plaintiffs allege Novo Nordisk did not adequately warn prescribers and patients about a potential NAION/vision-loss risk, even as adverse-event reports accumulated and the drugs’ popularity surged for diabetes and weight loss. These cases have been centralized in a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL)—In re: GLP-1 RAs Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 2:24-md-3094 (E.D. Pa.)—a procedural step used to coordinate discovery and pretrial rulings when many people allege similar injuries from the same products; the proceeding is ongoing and not settled. The significance, investigators argue, is twofold: whether labeling and risk communication kept pace with emerging safety signals, and whether patients would have made different treatment decisions had NAION warnings been clearer or included earlier.

More broadly, this dispute fits a familiar pattern in pharmaceutical litigation where plaintiffs scrutinize how companies monitored post-market safety, reported issues, and updated labels when serious but uncommon harms are suspected. In the GLP-1 space, the industry operates under FDA requirements for pharmacovigilance, adverse-event reporting, and label changes when evidence supports new warnings—yet manufacturers and regulators often disagree on when a signal is strong enough to warrant explicit language. Similar MDLs in other drug categories have turned on the same questions now under investigation here: causation science, the adequacy of warnings under federal labeling rules, and whether marketing or prescribing information appropriately conveyed rare but potentially life-altering risks like permanent vision loss

Defendant Companies: Novo Nordisk

Alleged Violations: Failure to warn consumers/patients about the risk of non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and vision loss associated with semaglutide (GLP-1) medications, Product liability (drug injury claims related to alleged inadequate warnings/labeling)

Case Status: Lawsuit Filed

Affected Product or Service: Semaglutide (GLP-1) medications Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus and their labeling/warnings regarding NAION-related vision loss

Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (MDL: In re: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAS) Products Liability Litigation, Case No. 2:24-md-3094)

Lead Law Firm: Levin Papantonio Law Firm (with LegaFi Law LLC listed as a participating firm)

Eligibility Requirements: Used Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus (semaglutide/GLP-1 medication), Experienced sudden or unexplained vision changes or vision loss during use or shortly after stopping the medication, Received a medical diagnosis consistent with non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), Has records that can help confirm medication use and the timing/nature of the vision injury (e.g., prescriptions, medical charts)

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Source: https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/investigations/ozempic-side-effects-lawsuit-investigation