Lilly asks federal panel to consolidate 21 GLP-1 vision-loss lawsuits
The request would put federal lawsuits claiming GLP-1 drugs caused a blinding eye condition before the judge already handling the GLP-1 stomach-injury cases.
Eli Lilly asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on Aug. 19, 2025 to consolidate 21 federal lawsuits that claim GLP-1 medicines can cause a rare eye condition called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, which can lead to permanent blindness [1][2].
The motion, filed under 28 U.S.C. § 1407, asks the panel to move the cases — brought against Lilly and Novo Nordisk — to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where they would go before Judge Karen S. Marston [1][2]. Lilly filed the request under docket number MDL No. 3163 [1]. As an alternative, Lilly asks the panel to add the NAION cases to an existing group of GLP-1 lawsuits, MDL 3094, which is already before Judge Marston [1].
MDL 3094 was created in February 2024 to handle claims that GLP-1 medicines caused gastrointestinal injuries, and it covers products from both Lilly and Novo Nordisk [1]. According to Lilly's motion, the NAION plaintiffs are "mostly represented by the same plaintiffs' lawyers who serve as Co-Lead Counsel in MDL 3094," and the new filings came after articles reported possible associations — without concluding that the drugs cause the condition — between NAION and semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus [1]. The NAION suits name Ozempic, Wegovy, Trulicity and/or Mounjaro, according to the motion [1]; a report on the filing also lists Mounjaro and Zepbound [2]. Lilly's brief says several pending "combination" cases alleging both NAION and gastrointestinal injuries were filed directly into MDL 3094 [1].
Lilly argues that one judge should handle the scientific questions the cases share, including "whether there is reliable scientific evidence that Lilly's or Novo's medicines can cause NAION" [1]. The motion says Judge Marston already knows the medicines, the parties and the lawyers involved and is in a "unique position to guide" the NAION litigation [1]. Lilly also distinguishes the NAION request from an earlier request involving DVT, citing a 2024 JPML ruling on GLP-1 litigation [1].
Lilly describes its own GLP-1 medicines — Trulicity, Mounjaro and Zepbound — as safe and effective treatments for type 2 diabetes, obesity and obstructive sleep apnea, and says the lawsuits claim a failure to warn [1]. Its brief cites two studies on GLP-1 drugs and optic nerve disorders: a Danish-Norwegian cohort study on semaglutide and NAION, and a 2025 JAMA Network Open paper on semaglutide or tirzepatide and visual pathway disorders in people with type 2 diabetes [1]. It also cites CDC figures of 38.4 million Americans with diabetes and more than 100 million adults with obesity [1].
Beyond the federal cases, the motion says dozens of NAION cases and hundreds of gastrointestinal cases are pending in state courts, and that most are subject to requests to create a New Jersey multicounty litigation that would assign both kinds of claims to a single judge [1].
Why it matters for patients
NAION can cause permanent blindness [2]. The lawsuits claim the condition was caused by GLP-1 medicines; the filings do not establish that. Lilly's motion says the articles that prompted the filings reported possible associations but drew no causal conclusions [1] — a position stated by one defendant, not a finding by a court or a regulator.
Centralizing cases changes where and how pretrial work happens, such as discovery and the exchange of expert evidence. It does not decide whether the drugs are safe or whether any individual claim succeeds. No trial dates are set, and the filings do not say whether the Food and Drug Administration has taken any action on NAION involving these medicines.
Patients taking a GLP-1 medicine may see news about the litigation. The documents filed Aug. 19 do not include a warning or recommendation for people currently using these drugs; they describe a dispute between manufacturers and plaintiffs' lawyers over which judge manages the pretrial proceedings.
What happens next
The JPML has not ruled on Lilly's request [1]. The motion does not include a hearing date or a briefing schedule [1]. Lilly has asked for Judge Marston in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania or, failing that, for the NAION cases to join MDL 3094 [1]. The New Jersey multicounty litigation request covering the state cases is also pending [1].
Sources
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