GLP-1 stomach injury lawsuits consolidated into MDL 3094
The consolidation put thousands of stomach-injury claims against the makers of Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound into one Philadelphia court, where no case has yet been tried or settled.
A federal judicial panel consolidated lawsuits alleging that GLP-1 medications caused gastroparesis, intestinal obstruction and ileus into a single proceeding on February 2, 2024 [1]. The cases were combined as MDL 3094 in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where they are now before Judge Karen S. Marston [1][3].
The lawsuits name Novo Nordisk — maker of Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, which all contain semaglutide — and Eli Lilly, which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound (tirzepatide) and Trulicity (dulaglutide) [1][3]. Plaintiffs allege the companies knew or should have known about serious stomach-related risks and did not warn patients adequately [2]. No court or jury has found that any of these drugs caused anyone's injury, and no case in the MDL has settled or gone to trial [1].
One source describes the case as initially assigned to Judge Pratter in February 2024 and lists Judge Marston as the presiding judge [3]; another says Judge Marston was assigned to oversee the consolidated stomach-injury cases [1].
The number of pending cases has climbed steadily. As of September 2026, 4,022 cases were pending, out of 4,056 total filed, a 202% increase since January 2025 [2][3][4]. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reported 3,928 cases in August 2026 [1]. Roughly 75% of complaints allege gastroparesis, 18% allege ileus and 8% allege gallbladder injuries [3].
Federal regulators have changed the Ozempic label over the same period. The FDA added a warning for ileus in September 2023, after receiving 33 reports of intestinal blockage in semaglutide users, along with two deaths [2][4]. The accounts disagree about when language stating the drug is "not recommended in patients with severe gastroparesis" was added: one dates it to January 2025 [2] and another to October 2025 [3]. Both quote the same wording [2][3].
In August 2025, the court excluded two of the plaintiffs' diagnostic experts and ruled that gastroparesis claims must be backed by an objective gastric emptying study [1][3].
Why it matters for patients
The consolidation does not decide whether any drug caused a given patient's symptoms [1]. It moves thousands of similar injury claims into one court so pretrial issues — including which expert testimony a jury may hear — are handled consistently [2].
For patients, the practical effect is a long timeline. There have been no settlements and no verdicts in MDL 3094 as of September 2026 [1][2]. Vision-loss claims alleging NAION are handled in a separate proceeding, MDL 3163, created in December 2025 and also before Judge Marston; that track has grown from roughly 20 cases to about 200 [1][3].
The court's testing requirement matters for anyone whose medical records are being reviewed. Under the August 2025 ruling, a gastroparesis claim needs a gastric emptying study showing delayed stomach emptying, not symptoms alone [1][3]. What share of pending cases meet that standard has not been disclosed.
What happens next
Filings that determine which expert evidence can be presented had an April 28, 2026 deadline in MDL 3094, and a hearing on that evidence is scheduled for September 14–18, 2026 [1][3]. Summary judgment briefing ran through July 2026 [3]. The first test cases, known as bellwether trials, were expected at the earliest in mid-to-late 2026 [3].
One analysis says mass settlements are unlikely before late 2027 and estimates total liability across both MDLs could exceed $2 billion [3]. No settlements have been announced in either proceeding [1][2][3].
Sources
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