Table of contents
- Latest Saxenda Lawsuit Updates
- January 14, 2026: Court Creates Streamlined MDL Docket
- October 3, 2025: Order Sets the Operative Complaint
- August 15, 2025: Court Rules on Gastric Emptying Studies
- December 12, 2024: JPML Adds Saxenda to MDL No. 3094
- May 31, 2024: Kentucky Woman Files Stomach Paralysis Suit
- February 27, 2014: FDA and EMA Review Incretin Drug Safety
- What Is Saxenda?
- Who May Be Affected?
- Reported Injuries or Damages
- Recall and Regulatory Background
- Evidence to Preserve
- Filing Deadlines
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Saxenda Part of the Ozempic MDL?
- Does Saxenda Cause Stomach Paralysis?
- What Does the Research Say About Saxenda and Pancreatic Cancer?
- Does Saxenda Carry a Pancreatitis Warning?
- How Many Saxenda Lawsuits Are in the MDL?
Lawsuits allege that Saxenda (liraglutide), Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss injection, caused gastroparesis, ileus or intestinal obstruction. Plaintiffs say the company did not warn patients and their doctors about these stomach and bowel injuries.
Saxenda cases are part of MDL No. 3094. This is coordinated pretrial litigation in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation added Saxenda on December 12, 2024.
It is not a class action: each plaintiff has an individual case. No recall, settlement or verdict has been announced.
Latest Saxenda Lawsuit Updates
January 14, 2026: Court Creates Streamlined MDL Docket
Judge Karen S. Marston of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued Case Management Order No. 30 in MDL No. 3094. It created a second, streamlined docket numbered 01md3094 [1].
The streamlined docket holds the transfer order and master pleadings. It also holds case management orders and rulings on contested discovery, dispositive and expert testimony (Rule 702) motions.
October 3, 2025: Order Sets the Operative Complaint
Case Management Order No. 27 set the operative complaint in every MDL case. It is the master long form complaint plus each plaintiff’s short form complaint [2].
The master complaint is not intended to merge plaintiffs’ claims, so the MDL is a set of individual cases. Existing cases had 60 days to file short form complaints, or 90 days for firms with more than 500 cases.
August 15, 2025: Court Rules on Gastric Emptying Studies
In its opinion on expert testimony, the court ruled on gastroparesis claims. Any plaintiff claiming drug-induced gastroparesis must have had a gastric emptying study properly performed at the time of diagnosis [3].
The study must have confirmed delayed emptying. The ruling covers all eight GLP-1 drugs in the MDL, Saxenda included. The ruling concerns how gastroparesis is diagnosed. It does not decide whether any drug caused it.
December 12, 2024: JPML Adds Saxenda to MDL No. 3094
The JPML transfer order added Saxenda (liraglutide), made by Novo Nordisk, to MDL No. 3094 [4]. The MDL sits before Judge Karen S. Marston in Pennsylvania.
It transferred Wolfe v. Novo Nordisk A/S, C.A. No. 2:24-00992, from the Northern District of Alabama to Judge Marston. The plaintiff in Wolfe sought to add Saxenda to the MDL and alleges that Saxenda causes stomach and bowel injuries.
May 31, 2024: Kentucky Woman Files Stomach Paralysis Suit
A Kentucky woman sued Novo Nordisk A/S and its affiliates in the Eastern District of Kentucky over its weight loss treatment Saxenda, Law360 reported [5].
She alleged that the company failed to warn patients about the risk of incurable stomach paralysis. These are allegations in a complaint. The MDL court has issued no ruling that Saxenda caused any injury.
February 27, 2014: FDA and EMA Review Incretin Drug Safety
FDA and EMA staff published a perspective in the New England Journal of Medicine. It said data do not currently support a causal association between incretin-based drugs and pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, as ACP Diabetes Monthly summarized [6].
Pancreatitis will continue to be considered a risk until more data are available. The review covers incretin-based drugs as a class and does not name Saxenda.
What Is Saxenda?
According to the current Saxenda label, Saxenda (liraglutide) injection is a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It is used with diet and exercise to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term [7].
Patients inject Saxenda under the skin once a day. The recommended dose is 3 mg daily. The FDA approved Saxenda on December 23, 2014 [8].
Who May Be Affected?
People who were prescribed Saxenda for chronic weight management and then developed a stomach or bowel injury match the plaintiffs’ allegations. The alleged injuries include gastroparesis, ileus, intestinal obstruction and pseudo-obstruction.
The JPML said Wolfe and any other related actions that allege use of Saxenda share common questions with the MDL.
The court wrote that its August 15, 2025 ruling will have relatively little effect on the vast majority of cases, because most plaintiffs claim permanent or persistent gastroparesis.
Saxenda is FDA-approved for adults with obesity, for children 12 and older with obesity who weigh more than 60 kg, and for adults with overweight plus a weight-related condition. Only an individual legal review can say whether your facts fit.
The JPML’s August 3, 2026 report lists 3,928 pending actions in the MDL across all its drugs [9]. People who took Ozempic can read about the Ozempic stomach paralysis lawsuit in the same MDL.
Reported Injuries or Damages
The court summarized the master complaint’s alleged injuries across all the drugs in the MDL. They include debilitating cyclical vomiting, gastroparesis, ileus and intestinal obstruction.
The list goes on to gallbladder injury, ischemic bowel, necrotizing pancreatitis, vitamin deficiency and Wernicke’s Encephalopathy. These are allegations and not findings.
The Saxenda label says GLP-1 receptor agonists, including liraglutide, have been associated with stomach and bowel side effects, sometimes severe.
In trials, severe reactions were reported in 4.8% of Saxenda patients versus 1.4% on placebo. A warning added in the October 2025 label revision says Saxenda is not recommended in patients with severe gastroparesis [10].
The boxed warning on the current Saxenda label says liraglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors in rats and mice. It is unknown whether Saxenda causes these tumors in humans.
Recall and Regulatory Background
No recall of Saxenda has been announced [11]. FDA has changed the label instead. In November 2024, it added a warning on pulmonary aspiration during general anesthesia or deep sedation.
In February 2026, FDA removed the suicidal behavior and ideation warning. In March 2013, it issued an early communication on incretin mimetic drugs, the class that includes liraglutide [12].
FDA said, in a communication the Hong Kong Drug Office republished, that it had not reached any new conclusions about safety risks.
Evidence to Preserve
Records that may help show Saxenda use, your diagnosis and your symptoms include:
- Prescription and pharmacy records that show when and how long you used Saxenda.
- Your doctors’ notes on when symptoms started and when you received your diagnosis.
- The gastric emptying study report (scintigraphy, breath test or wireless motility capsule) and any endoscopy or imaging results.
- Hospital, emergency room and specialist records that cover your stomach or bowel symptoms.
- The pen, the packaging and the medication guide you received with your prescription.
- A dated symptom diary that lists what you felt and when it happened.
- Messages with doctors, pharmacies or Novo Nordisk about Saxenda or your symptoms.
Filing Deadlines
Deadlines to file an injury claim come from state law. They depend on where you live and when your injury and diagnosis happened.
A claim can end if you miss the deadline, even when your own facts are strong. So check with a lawyer promptly if you are considering legal action.
In the MDL, the court treats a plaintiff’s case as started on the date of the original or short form complaint, whichever was filed first, for statutes of limitation and repose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saxenda Part of the Ozempic MDL?
Yes, Saxenda is part of the Ozempic MDL, which is MDL No. 3094. The first order covered Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity and Mounjaro. Saxenda was the sixth product. Novo Nordisk Inc. and Novo Nordisk A/S supported the transfer.
Does Saxenda Cause Stomach Paralysis?
Plaintiffs allege that Saxenda causes stomach paralysis. The FDA label does not say that Saxenda causes gastroparesis. It lists post-approval reports of ileus and intestinal obstruction but says causal links cannot always be established.
What Does the Research Say About Saxenda and Pancreatic Cancer?
The research on Saxenda and pancreatic cancer is an FDA and EMA review of incretin-based drugs, not of Saxenda. The agencies said the data do not support a causal link to pancreatic cancer. FDA reviewed more than 250 toxicology studies and over 200 trials with about 41,000 participants.
Does Saxenda Carry a Pancreatitis Warning?
Yes, Saxenda carries a pancreatitis warning. The label describes acute pancreatitis, including fatal and non-fatal hemorrhagic or necrotizing pancreatitis. It says to stop Saxenda and begin appropriate management if pancreatitis is suspected.
How Many Saxenda Lawsuits Are in the MDL?
The number of Saxenda lawsuits in the MDL is not published separately. The pending count covers every drug in the MDL, not Saxenda alone. Plaintiffs’ counsel told the court they expect over 95% of the cases eventually filed to allege gastroparesis.