Los Angeles, Ca
Do Ozempic and Wegovy have hidden side effects? Lawsuit alleges bowel obstruction, stomach paralysis
(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.
Los Angeles, Ca
Transient steals baseball bats, batting gloves from Walmart before punching officer, spitting on deputy in hospital
A homeless man was arrested on a slew of charges after he forcibly stole baseball gear and later punched a police officer and spat on a deputy while in custody in the hospital.
According to a press release issued by the Ventura Police Department, employees of the Walmart, located at 1739 South Victoria Avenue in Ventura, called 911 to report a shoplift just before 9:30 p.m. Friday.
The suspect, later identified as 30-year-old Adam Martinez, had stolen two baseball bats and a pair of batting gloves from the store “by means of force,” police stated.
“Officers arrived and quickly located Martinez, who was waving the baseball bats in the air near bystanders outside of a nearby restaurant,” the Ventura Police Department said. “Martinez fled from the officers on foot…[they] caught up to him a short distance later, where he brandished the baseball bats at the officers in a threatening manner.”
At that point, the officers deployed a “less lethal force option” and took Martinez into custody without further incident.
He was transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment, and while there, he punched a Ventura Police Department officer and spat on a Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputy, authorities said.
After receiving treatment, Martinez was booked at the Ventura County Jail on charges of robbery, violently resisting an officer, battery on a peace officer and a parole hold.
According to police, he is currently on parole for multiple violent crimes and has multiple recent arrests in Ventura County. Inmate search records indicate his prior arrests were on Aug. 17, 23, 29 and 31.
Los Angeles, Ca
Winning $2 million Mega Millions ticket sold in Southern California
One lucky Southern Californian is the state’s newest millionaire after numbers for the Mega Millions jackpot were drawn Friday night.
The winning numbers were 6, 23, 41, 59, 63 and the Mega Ball number was 25. The Megaplier was 2X.
Although no winning ticket matched all six numbers to claim the $740 million jackpot, one SoCal winner matched five numbers and will take home $2,233,779.
The winning ticket was sold at an ARCO ampm gas station located at 27900 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City in Riverside County.
The current pot has been growing since a $552 million prize was won in Illinois in early June. The $740 million jackpot ranked as the seventh-largest in game history.
The jackpot will increase to an estimated $800 million for next Tuesday night’s drawing on Sept. 9.
Lottery officials confirmed there were 249,974 other winning tickets drawn on Friday, with prizes ranging from $2 to $10,931.
The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot is about 1 in 302.6 million.
USA Mega, which tracks Mega Millions statistics, says the most common Mega Millions numbers are 10, 3, 17, 14 and 46 for the first five numbers. The most common Mega Ball number is 11.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Tickets are $2 and there are a total of nine ways to win a prize. Drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 8 p.m.
Los Angeles, Ca
High heat leads to rolling power outages in Pasadena
Pasadena Water and Power, the public energy and water utility that services the Pasadena region, implemented rolling outages late Friday afternoon due to excess heat.
With temperatures in the mid-100s, the utility was forced to institute the rolling outages due to equipment failures caused by the heat.
The outages began around 4:30 p.m. and were expected to remain in place for about an hour.
By 5:30 p.m., the temperature in Pasadena remained around 107 degrees, but was expected to begin to let up after sundown around 7:15 p.m.
Those affected by the outages were encouraged to follow the latest updates on the PWP outage map on the city’s website.
Beyond Pasadena, the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s energy grid, said the grid was stable and there was sufficient supplies to meet demands.
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