Gene Pratter, federal judge overseeing Ozempic and Mounjaro lawsuits, dies at 75

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Gene E. K. Pratter, a federal judge who oversaw numerous high-profile cases during her lengthy career and was currently overseeing lawsuits involving the diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, has died. She was 75.

Pratter’s death was announced Friday by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The time and cause was not disclosed.

A graduate of Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Pratter was appointed as a federal judge by President George W. Bush in 2004. She took particular interest in ethics and professional conduct, according to the court statement, and, had traveled several times to former Soviet-bloc countries to address judicial ethics and case management.

A federal courts panel appointed Pratter in February to oversee numerous lawsuits accusing drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly of failing to warn people about serious side effects related to Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Before she was appointed to the bench, Pratter served as a partner and general counsel at the law firm Duane Morris LLP.