Thousands Sue Weight Loss Drug Manufacturers With Serious Harm AllegationsBy Anthony Yates Thousands of people have come forward alleging serious harm caused by GLP-1 weight loss drugs. Those products include Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. According to a report by USA Today, at least 4,400 people have filed lawsuits since the first was filed in 2023. Those suits are now part of a consolidated federal and state litigation and target two drugmakers: Novo Nordisk, which manufactures Ozempic, and Eli Lilly, which makes Trulicity, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. The companies reportedly said they refute the allegations and will defend the safety of their products. The USA Today report focuses on three troubling cases in the growing lawsuit. 63-year-old Todd Engel was using Ozempic to manage his diabetes. However, he told the outlet that he lost vision in one eye after using the drug for four months. His medication reportedly never came up as a potential cause of his sight loss, and he lost vision in his other eye months later. 72-year-old JoHelen McClain reportedly used Wegovy in November 2023, aiming to shed a few pounds. In March 2024, she heard a noise like a "balloon popping," which she later discovered was the sound of her colon rupturing. USA Today also interviewed Mark Smith. He told the outlet that his wife, 62-year-old Robin Smith, was taking Mounjaro for weight loss. She reportedly visited the hospital twice for vomiting. Her doctor suggested she stop using the drug, but her problems persisted. Days later, doctors diagnosed her with Wernicke's encephalopathy, which the outlet explains is a neurological condition caused by a lack of thiamine or Vitamin B1. It's often linked to malnutrition. The outlet points out that an estimated 12% of Americans use GLP-1 weight-loss drugs and that the plaintiff's account for a small percentage of users. USA Today also cites a 2024 court filing by the two drug companies. They explain that the known risks are reflected in FDA-approved labeling, which the FDA has reviewed more than 40 times. USA Today details a Gallup Study, which claims that the usage of GLP-1 drugs doubled between 2024 and 2025.Chief of Research and Development at the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Ziyad Al-Aly, reportedly stated that no medicine is risk-free. However, he believes the benefits outweigh the risks for most patients. Legal challenges are expected to take several years. ARTICLE SOURCE: https://screenrant.com/thousands-sue-weight-loss-drug-manufacturers/
I finished rebuilding my smoker a few days ago.
It was getting harder and harder to regulate the fire and heat in the smoker because the firebox was burned out so it was time to either build a new firebox or buy a new smoker. Since I like to build and create things (and it’s much cheaper) I decided to make a new firebox and while I was at it, remodel the smoker into something I’ve always wanted.
So I not only built a new firebox but I turned it into a reverse flow instead of a direct flow smoker.
Since I had to relocate the smoke stack I went ahead and lowered it down to grate level to force the heat and smoke down to the meat.
I built new racks and added a top rack.
The plate that makes this a reverse flow.
This design allows me to use 100% of my grates instead of just 2/3’s of it.
After I got the initial “burn in” to season the whole pit I did my first smoke on it yesterday.
Lamb chops and a lamb roast.
They came out great.
I’m very pleased with how this came out. This thing really puts out the smoke better than it ever did. Can’t wait to do a brisket and some ribs on it.
This thing is a beast now. The new firebox will never burn out in my lifetime. This thing will end up being passed on to one of my kids.