Overview
Thousands of lawsuits alleging that GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs caused serious injuries have been consolidated into two separate coordinated proceedings in federal court. The drugs named in these cases include Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. The manufacturers are Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. No trial has taken place, and the record we track does not show any settlement announced to date.
Creation of the Stomach Injury MDL
On February 2, 2024, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation created MDL No. 3094 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.[1] The MDL consolidates lawsuits alleging that GLP-1 drugs caused gastroparesis and other stomach and bowel injuries.[1] An MDL is a procedure that groups similar cases from across the country before one judge to handle pretrial matters efficiently, such as discovery and motions. The defendants in this litigation are Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.[1]
The MDL was later reassigned to Judge Karen S. Marston after the death of Judge Gene E.K. Pratter.[2]
Rulings on Gastroparesis Claims
On August 15, 2025, Judge Marston issued a ruling that affects plaintiffs claiming gastroparesis. The court ruled that these plaintiffs need a gastric emptying study in their medical records to support the diagnosis.[2] A gastric emptying study is a diagnostic test that measures how quickly food leaves the stomach. This ruling sets an evidentiary threshold that plaintiffs must meet to proceed with gastroparesis claims.
Partial Dismissal of Claims
Three days later, on August 18, 2025, Judge Marston ruled on the defendants' motion to dismiss. The court refused to dismiss 12 of the 17 counts brought against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.[3] However, the court did dismiss the design defect and medical monitoring claims.[3] This means that the majority of the legal theories advanced by the plaintiffs survived the motion to dismiss and will proceed through the litigation process. The claims that were dismissed cannot move forward unless plaintiffs successfully appeal or amend their complaints, neither of which the record we track shows has occurred.
Creation of the Vision Loss MDL
On December 15, 2025, the JPML created a second, separate MDL for a different type of injury allegedly linked to GLP-1 drugs.[4] MDL No. 3163, also assigned to Judge Marston in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, consolidates lawsuits claiming that these drugs caused vision loss, specifically a condition called NAION.[4] NAION stands for non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a form of sudden vision loss caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve. The creation of a separate MDL indicates that the vision loss claims raise distinct factual and legal issues from the stomach injury claims.
Case Counts as of July 2026
As of July 1, 2026, there were 3,848 lawsuits pending in the stomach injury MDL and 146 lawsuits pending in the NAION vision loss MDL.[5] The record we track does not show that any global settlement had been announced as of that date.[5]
Framework for the Vision Loss Cases
On July 2, 2026, Judge Marston issued an order establishing the framework for how the NAION cases will proceed. The court ordered that two threshold issues must be decided first, before individual cases move forward.[5] Those issues are whether GLP-1 drugs can cause NAION, and whether federal law preempts the warning claims brought by plaintiffs.[5] Preemption is a legal doctrine under which federal law can block state law claims if the two conflict. If the court finds that federal drug labeling requirements preempt the plaintiffs' state law failure-to-warn claims, those claims would be dismissed. This order means that the vision loss MDL will address these common questions before selecting individual cases for trial.
Upcoming Expert Hearings in the Stomach Injury MDL
Live hearings on the parties' expert testimony in the stomach injury MDL are scheduled for September 10 through 18, 2026.[6] These hearings, often called Daubert hearings, allow the court to evaluate whether the scientific and medical testimony that each side intends to present meets the standards for admissibility. The outcome of these hearings can significantly affect the strength of each side's case. The record we track does not show that a bellwether trial date has been set in the stomach injury MDL.[6]
What Is Not Known Yet
The record we track does not show that any trial date has been scheduled in either MDL. The expert hearings in the stomach injury MDL are a step that typically precedes the selection of bellwether cases for trial, but no such selection has been announced. The record we track does not show any settlement, whether for individual cases or as part of a global resolution. It also does not show how many additional cases have been filed since July 2026, or whether any cases have been dismissed or resolved individually. The vision loss MDL is at an earlier stage, with the court still working through threshold legal and causation questions before any cases will be prepared for trial.
Sources
- In re GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3094 (E.D. Pa.) (2024-02-02). Secondary report: webiis08.mondaq.com
- MDL No. 3094 (E.D. Pa.) (2024-05-01). Secondary report: tavrn.ai
- MDL No. 3094 (E.D. Pa.) (2025-08-18). Secondary report: verusllc.com
- In re GLP-1 RAs (NAION) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3163 (E.D. Pa.) (2025-12-15). Secondary report: shouselaw.com
- MDL No. 3094 and MDL No. 3163 (2026-07-01). Secondary report: lawsuit-information-center.com
- MDL No. 3094 (E.D. Pa.) (2026-09-10). Secondary report: thomasabraunrph.substack.com
Litigation facts on this page come from the TortIntel litigation record and the documents linked above. Last checked against that record on 2026-10-24. If you see an error, tell us and we will correct it.