Patients File Lawsuits After Experiencing Sudden Vision Loss Following Wegovy Use

American patients who suffered sudden vision loss after taking glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, including obesity and diabetes treatments such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound, are filing a series of lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies.

According to the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 19th, lawsuits seeking damages are underway in the United States against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, alleging that patients developed non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) after taking GLP-1 medications.

NAION is a condition in which sudden vision loss occurs due to reduced blood flow to the optic nerve, and the damaged vision is frequently permanent.

A personal injury law firm in the U.S. has filed more than 90 lawsuits against Novo Nordisk in a New Jersey state court since 2025 on behalf of patients who developed NAION while taking Ozempic or Wegovy.

Separate lawsuits have also been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, claiming that GLP-1 treatments caused NAION and that the companies failed to adequately warn of the associated risks.

However, the causal relationship between GLP-1 treatments and NAION has not yet been clearly established.

Some studies have indicated that taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, may increase the risk of developing NAION by about twofold compared to a control group that did not take the drug.

Even with a twofold increase in risk, however, the absolute incidence rate remains low, with estimates suggesting that about 2 out of every 10,000 users on average would develop NAION.

Conversely, a study by an ophthalmology research institution reported that the risk of onset increases by about eightfold.

On the other hand, a large-scale study funded by Novo Nordisk found no evidence that GLP-1 treatments increase the risk of developing NAION.

Experts point out that the conflicting study results are partly because many patients using GLP-1 treatments already have conditions that inherently raise the risk of NAION, such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first identified a potential link between GLP-1 treatments and NAION in late 2024 and is currently investigating, though it has not yet added related warning labels to the products.

In contrast, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) classified NAION as a "very rare side effect" of semaglutide in June of last year and recommended adding warnings to the product labeling in Europe.

In Denmark, where Novo Nordisk is headquartered, 27 patients who developed NAION after taking Ozempic or Wegovy received more than $1.5 million (approx. 2.1 billion won) in compensation, with an additional 38 cases under review.

Such compensation is part of a government program that compensates victims for rare and serious drug side effects. An independent agency, the Patient Compensation Association in Denmark, evaluates eligibility for compensation, and Novo Nordisk is not involved in this process.

Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are fighting the lawsuits, stating that a causal link proving the drugs cause NAION has not been established.

Experts note that while the risk itself is low, careful judgment is required depending on the patient's condition.

They advise that particularly for patients who need the medication to treat diabetes or cardiovascular disease, the therapeutic benefits are likely to outweigh the risks, but for simple weight-loss purposes, the risks and benefits need to be carefully weighed.

The American Optometric Association has recommended that patients starting GLP-1 treatment undergo an eye exam to check the condition of their optic nerve starting in 2025.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.