PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has ordered the creation of a new federal multidistrict litigation consolidating lawsuits alleging that popular GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs caused patients to suffer serious vision injuries, including non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, known as NAION.
The new proceeding, MDL No. 3163, has been centralized in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and assigned to U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston for coordinated pretrial proceedings.
The lawsuits allege that patients who used GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic developed NAION, a condition that can cause sudden and permanent vision loss. The Panel found that the actions involve common questions of fact concerning the development, testing, marketing, labeling, and regulatory history of the drugs, as well as their alleged ability to cause optic nerve injury.
NAION Distinguished From Gastrointestinal Injuries
The JPML ordered the creation of a separate MDL for NAION claims, declining requests to fold the vision loss cases into the existing GLP-1 gastrointestinal injury MDL. While acknowledging some overlap between the litigations, the Panel concluded that NAION represents a distinct injury that warrants its own centralized proceeding.
The Order states that a separate MDL will allow the court to better manage the litigation, facilitate orderly docketing, and determine the appropriate level of coordination between the two proceedings.
“This Order recognizes that vision loss is a fundamentally different injury that demands focused attention,” said Cameron Stephenson, an attorney with Levin Papantonio who is a member of the Plaintiff’s Executive Committee In Re: Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1 RAS) Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3094).
“Patients who suffer NAION are often left with permanent damage and no meaningful treatment options. The creation of this MDL is an important step toward accountability and transparency,” Stephenson added.
NAION: Serious Vision Loss Injury
NAION is a serious eye condition caused by reduced blood flow to the optic nerve. It often occurs suddenly and without warning, frequently upon waking, and can result in partial or complete, permanent vision loss. There is currently no proven treatment to reverse the damage once it occurs, making the condition life-altering for many patients.
What the MDL Means
The Panel noted that centralization will help eliminate duplicative discovery, avoid inconsistent rulings on key legal and scientific issues, and conserve judicial resources. Claims brought in the MDL include failure to warn, design defect, and breach of warranty allegations against the drug manufacturers.
With the MDL now established, coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings will move forward under Judge Marston’s supervision in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
About Cameron Stephenson
Cameron Stephenson is a trial attorney with Levin Papantonio whose practice focuses on mass tort pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He has successfully settled or mediated numerous personal injury and wrongful death cases, including multiple matters resulting in recoveries of $1 million or more.
Stephenson has secured several significant jury verdicts. In 2025, he was a member of the trial team that secured a $20 million verdict in a product liability case involving asbestos exposure from talc products.
Stephenson currently serves on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in In re: GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3094) and has been actively involved in other major MDLs, including Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Litigation (MDL 2738) and Proton Pump Inhibitor Litigation (MDL 2789).
About Levin Papantonio
The Levin Papantonio law firm has been representing injured people across the globe since 1955. The national trial law firm specializes in mass torts, products liability, environmental contamination, drug injuries, and complex personal injury.
Levin Papantonio has gained national recognition as one of the most successful personal injury firms in the world and has been featured on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Forbes, and the National Law Journal.
LP attorneys handle lawsuits throughout the country and have helped obtain more than $80 billion injury verdicts and settlements, litigating against some of the largest corporations in the world.
Sara Stephens, Director of Content & Communications
Phone Number: +12817446560
Email: sstephens@levinlaw.com
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