Thousands of Americans have filed lawsuits alleging that Ozempic and similar GLP-1 medications caused serious gastrointestinal injuries, including stomach paralysis (gastroparesis).
But an August 2025 federal court ruling established specific medical testing requirements for patients alleging Ozempic caused gastroparesis. Those who experienced severe symptoms but never underwent an accepted diagnostic test may face significant obstacles to recovering compensation.
Why Some Ozempic Patients Struggle to Get a Gastroparesis Diagnosis
Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and other GLP-1 medications help manage diabetes or weight by affecting appetite and digestion. They also slow the movement of food from the stomach into the intestines.
However, there's a difference between the expected side effects and injuries of these medications and gastroparesis. The condition involves abnormally delayed stomach emptying without a physical blockage.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, and feeling full after eating very little. However, these symptoms can also indicate other digestive conditions.
The American College of Gastroenterology's guidelines generally require objective evidence of delayed stomach emptying and ruling out an obstruction to diagnose gastroparesis.
Some patients receive treatment for vomiting or dehydration without undergoing testing. Others stop taking their medication before a specialist orders a test, and their symptoms improve or disappear.
Because of this, testing has become particularly important in lawsuits against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, manufacturers of several medications named in the GLP-1 gastroparesis litigation.
Are Specific Tests Required for an Ozempic Stomach Paralysis Lawsuit?
An August 15, 2025, federal court ruling established specific testing requirements for patients alleging gastroparesis in the GLP-1 stomach paralysis litigation (MDL 3094). The ruling set a standard for what diagnostic evidence plaintiffs must provide to show they developed gastroparesis.
They must have had a properly performed gastric-emptying study, of which there are three accepted methods:
- Gastric-emptying scintigraphy: Considered the gold standard, the patient eats a meal with a harmless radioactive tracer. Medical professionals take images over approximately four hours to determine if stomach emptying is unusually slow.
- Gastric-emptying breath test: Patients eat a specially prepared meal, then provide breath samples that help measure how quickly their stomach empties.
- Wireless motility capsule: Patients swallow a small electronic capsule that collects information as it moves through the digestive system.
The ruling means symptoms, medical histories, and doctors' observations alone aren’t enough to demonstrate stomach paralysis to file a claim under the GLP-1 gastroparesis MDL.
Can Testing After Stopping Ozempic Still Help a Lawsuit?
Testing after stopping a GLP-1 medication may still help a lawsuit, but it may not reflect stomach function while the patient was taking the drug.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, remains in the body for weeks after the last dose. However, gastric-emptying studies measure stomach function at the time of testing, not months earlier.
If someone experienced severe vomiting while using Ozempic but stopped the medication before testing, their stomach function may have changed by the time the study is performed.
A normal result later doesn't necessarily mean a patient never experienced delayed gastric emptying - or that their weight loss drug was the cause. But based on the MDL’s requirements, symptoms and medical records can’t replace an accepted test for gastroparesis.
It’s important to note that the court doesn't explicitly require testing while a patient is taking the medication. However, timing and reliability of the results may affect a GLP-1 lawsuit.
Even an abnormal test doesn't automatically prove Ozempic caused gastroparesis. Other potential causes, including diabetes, must be considered.
Different Ozempic Injuries Require Different Evidence
Not every serious gastrointestinal injury allegedly associated with Ozempic, Wegovy, and other GLP-1 medications is gastroparesis.
The lawsuits in the federal Ozempic MDL also involve allegations of:
- Ileus: The intestines temporarily stop moving contents normally.
- Intestinal obstruction: A blockage prevents food, fluid, or gas from moving through the intestines.
Doctors may use different tests to investigate these conditions, including CT scans, X-rays, and other examinations; neither ileus nor an intestinal obstruction require the same gastric-emptying tests as plaintiffs who claim they developed stomach paralysis from Ozempic or Wegovy.
Patients who had an alleged intestinal obstruction linked to GLP-1 medications may have relevant medical evidence without a gastroparesis diagnosis.
Regardless of the injury, proving it exists or existed is different from proving the cause.
Why Required Tests Matter to Ozempic Gastroparesis Lawsuits
The August 2025 ruling resolved a major disagreement between plaintiffs and drug manufacturers.
Plaintiffs' experts argued that doctors could reliably diagnose drug-induced gastroparesis using symptoms, medical history, and the timing of symptoms after starting medication. The manufacturers argued that objective testing was necessary.
The court sided with the manufacturers on the diagnostic standard.
For those who claim that Wegovy or Ozempic caused gastroparesis, the consequences are substantial. Someone might have medical records documenting repeated vomiting, hospitalization, and significant weight loss but still lack the testing needed to be eligible for a GLP-1 gastroparesis claim.
October 2026 GLP-1 Lawsuit Update
There are two separate federal GLP-1 injury MDLs – one involves GI injuries, and the other, non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
According to the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, as of October 1, the Ozempic gastrointestinal litigation had 4,025 pending cases. The GLP-1 vision loss MDL for had reached 247.
Both proceedings are in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania but involve different allegations and scientific questions.
The Ozempic gastrointestinal MDL held expert-evidence hearings in September, with additional closing arguments scheduled for October 13. The outcome could affect which expert testimony plaintiffs can use.
The manufacturers still dispute allegations that their medications caused the claimed injuries.
What Patients Experiencing Severe Symptoms Should Know
Anyone experiencing persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, difficulty eating, or unexplained digestive problems while taking GLP-1 medications should seek medical attention.
Patients should tell their doctors which medications they take, when symptoms began, and if they stopped taking the drug, whether their symptoms changed. They can also ask whether a gastric-emptying study or another evaluation is appropriate.
Medical records documenting symptoms, emergency visits, diagnostic testing, and medication history may help establish what happened. Patients who believe they suffered a GLP-1-related injury should have their case reviewed by a product liability attorney to understand their legal options.
