Los Angeles, Ca
Do Ozempic and Wegovy have hidden side effects? Lawsuit alleges bowel obstruction, stomach paralysis
![Do Ozempic and Wegovy have hidden side effects? Lawsuit alleges bowel obstruction, stomach paralysis Do Ozempic and Wegovy have hidden side effects? Lawsuit alleges bowel obstruction, stomach paralysis](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/GettyImages-2169095535-e1725554351398.jpg?w=800)
(NEXSTAR) – A woman who used the semaglutide drugs Wegovy and Ozempic to lose weight and treat diabetes says the drugmaker didn’t adequately warn her, or other patients, of the serious side effects she ended up experiencing.
Juanita Gantt told CBS News she was found unconscious on the floor last October. When taken to the hospital, doctors realized “parts of her large intestine had died and needed to be removed,” CBS reports.
She now has an ileostomy bag in place because her colon was removed.
The medical emergency prompted her to file a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Wegovy and Ozempic. (The drugs work the same way, but Wegovy is approved for weight loss and Ozempic is for diabetes.) Gantt claims Novo Nordisk doesn’t warn prominently warn patients of the life-threatening side effects like the ones she experienced, such as stomach paralysis or bowel obstruction.
“We are aware of the health challenges this patient has experienced and are sympathetic to her health journey. Patient safety is our top priority at Novo Nordisk, and we work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continuously monitor the safety profile of our medicines,” a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Nexstar in a statement.
These types of medications, which imitate the GLP-1 hormone to slow down digestion and reduce feelings of hunger, have been on the market a long time to treat diabetes, the spokesperson continued. There are known risks, as well as benefits, the company said. Those risks are outlined in Ozempic and Wegovy’s full prescribing information documents.
The spokesperson said Novo Nordisk believes the lawsuit allegations are “without merit” and the company plans to “vigorously defend against these claims.”
What are the known side effects of Wegovy and Ozempic?
While Ozempic and Wegovy have been hailed in recent months as weight loss and diabetes miracle drugs, they have known side effects – from the aesthetic (“Ozempic face”) to the puzzling (“Ozempic babies”).
But there are more common side effects. Many of them are gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, constipation, bloating, belching, heartburn. Other common side effects are headache, fatigue, dizziness, low blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes, stomach flu, runny nose and sore throat.
The drugs also have more serious side effects, such as:
- Thyroid tumors, including cancer
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancras)
- Gallbladder problems and gallstones, which may require surgery
- Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar
- Kidney problems and kidney failure
- Increased heart rate while you are at rest
- Change in vision for people with type 2 diabetes
- Depression or thoughts of suicide
- Serious allergic reactions
While other gastrointestinal issues are mentioned in the 15-page prescribing guidelines for each of the drugs, stomach paralysis and bowel obstruction (the issues alleged in the lawsuit) aren’t referenced.
A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 16 million people who were prescribed GLP-1 drugs between 2006 and 2020. When compared with those using another weight loss drug called bupropion-naltrexone, those who used the GLP-1-type drugs had a four times higher risk of bowel obstruction or stomach paralysis.
The study’s lead researchers said that these serious effects are rare, affecting only about 1% of patients, but people should still be aware of them and talk to their doctors if they have concerns.
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Los Angeles, Ca
Two men shot leaving restaurant near Hollywood Walk of Fame
![Two men shot leaving restaurant near Hollywood Walk of Fame Two men shot leaving restaurant near Hollywood Walk of Fame](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/hollywood-shooting.jpg?w=900)
Two men leaving a restaurant near the Walk of Fame were hospitalized when a gunman opened fire in Hollywood overnight.
The shooting was reported just before midnight outside the Status Hollywood restaurant and lounge on the 1600 block of Cahuenga Boulevard.
Police said the two victims had just finished dinner and walked out of the lounge when a gunman standing next to a car opened fire from across the street.
Both victims were struck by the gunfire and transported to a local hospital.
A security guard who witnessed the incident ran to help one of the victims who said he was feeling weak and starting to lose consciousness.
“I grabbed a shirt that was lying there and I applied pressure … Got that hole covered,” Eric Hinkley said.
Police said the unidentified victims were in stable condition at the hospital
The suspect, described only as a man in a black hoodie, ran northbound on Cahuenga after the shooting.
The motive for the shooting was unknown. It was also unclear if the shooter and victims knew each other.
Los Angeles, Ca
Thieves steal nearly $20,000 worth of collectibles in Orange County
![Thieves steal nearly ,000 worth of collectibles in Orange County Thieves steal nearly ,000 worth of collectibles in Orange County](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/09/anaheim-police-dept.-15.png?w=900)
Surveillance video captured a group of thieves stealing nearly $20,000 worth of action figures and collectibles in Orange County.
The suspects broke into a CubeSmart storage unit in Santa Ana located at 2828 W. 5th Street on July 31, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
Three men were seen quickly moving several large boxes from a storage unit and down a flight of stairs.
Police said the thieves escaped with nearly $20,000 worth of collectible items including Star Wars and G.I. Joe action figures, valuable comic books and more.
The suspects loaded the stolen merchandise into a getaway van before fleeing the area. The vehicle is described as a ’90s model, white Dodge van with blue stripes on the exterior.
Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has information on the theft is asked to contact Detective J. Guidry at 714-245-8530 or email JGuidry@santa-ana.org.
Surveillance footage of the theft can be seen in the video player above.
Los Angeles, Ca
L.A. County deputy faces federal charge for controversial arrest at Lancaster WinCo
![L.A. County deputy faces federal charge for controversial arrest at Lancaster WinCo L.A. County deputy faces federal charge for controversial arrest at Lancaster WinCo](https://ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/07/snapshot-44-2.jpg?w=900)
A former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy has been federally charged with using excessive force during a 2023 shoplifting investigation in Lancaster.
Trevor James Kirk, 31, of Santa Clarita, has been charged with deprivation of rights under color of law after the June 24, 2023, confrontation at WinCo Foods, 740 W. Ave. K 4.
That day, when investigating a report of shoplifting by a man and woman that turned into a physical altercation, Kirk “used excessive force when he assaulted and pepper-sprayed a woman,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
While detaining the man, Kirk and a partner were filmed by the woman, identified by the DOJ as J.H.
J.H. told the deputies that her video was being livestreamed online and that the deputies were legally required to tell the man for what he was being detained.
“The indictment alleges that Kirk then approached J.H. and, without giving any commands, attempted to grab her phone,” the release said. “J.H. turned away, at which point Kirk allegedly grabbed J.H. by her arm, hooked his left hand behind her neck, and violently threw her to the ground.”
While on the ground, Kirk put his knee on J.H.’s shoulder. When the woman yelled “stop” at Kirk and called him an obscenity, he “cocked his right arm back with a clenched fist and said, ‘Stop or you’re gonna get punched in the face,’” the DOJ said.
“Kirk then allegedly pressed his knee into J.H.’s neck, and she said, ‘Get your neck [sic] off my . . . off my . . . I can’t breathe,’” the release added. “While on top of J.H., the indictment alleges that Kirk used his LASD radio to misleading report that he was in a ‘fight.’”
Kirk also allegedly pepper sprayed J.H. in the face twice while she was detained, despite Kirk’s official LASD report that prosecutors called “misleading,” adding that he “he portrayed J.H. as a threat to his physical safety, claiming that J.H. assaulted him, attempted to hit him, and took a ‘fighting’ or ‘blading’ stance.”
A video of the leadup to the conflict was released in the weeks following, and though Kirk’s attorney has called the deputy’s actions “completely justified,” citing the video as evidence, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna was not as supportive.
“It’s disturbing,” Luna said at a press conference following the video’s release. “There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in the DOJ’s news release that “when an officer violates the civil rights of another person, it undermines public safety for all of us.”
“Officers must be held accountable when they violate constitutional rights, and my Office is committed to prosecuting those who abuse their authority and breach the public’s trust,” Estrada said.
If convicted, Kirk faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
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