Benicar, a high blood-pressure medication, has been found to cause sprue-like enteropathy, chronic diarrhea and severe weight loss.

The onset of symptoms may be two years or more after starting Benicar, many people require hospitalization, and it is easily mistaken for Celiac disease.

The number of Benicar lawsuits has surged from 70 in June to over 1000, according to statistics released by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). The cases are coordinated in federal court in New Jersey for pretrial proceedings (MDL No. 2606), overseen by U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler.

The litigation, established in April with just 35 Benicar lawsuits, now stands at 1,034 filed complaints. All of these Benicar lawsuits accuse drug-makers Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories of failing to adequately study Benicar or warn about the risk of sprue-like enteropathy and other serious Benicar side effects.

Some plaintiffs also claim that marketing materials for Benicar were misleading.

Benicar Side Effects

Benicar can cause sprue-like enteropathy and other severe side effects. The link between Benicar and sprue-like enteropathy was discovered by gastroenterologists at the Mayo Clinic in 2012. Several patients were misdiagnosed with Celiac disease, but their symptoms did not improve on a gluten-free diet and they suffered for years before doctors realized Benicar was causing the problem.

In 2013, the FDA ordered drug-makers to add sprue-like enteropathy to the warning label on Benicar. The FDA also told patients to contact a healthcare professional right away if they experience symptoms like chronic diarrhea and severe weight-loss. At the time, the FDA said a review of its Adverse Event Reporting System showed “clear evidence of an association between olmesartan and sprue-like enteropathy.”

Other Benicar side effects include chronic diarrhea, dehydration, malnutrition, nausea, and intestinal damage.

Benicar Litigation Status

Benicar lawsuits have only recently centralized in a multidistrict litigation, and the number of lawsuits has already increased dramatically.

Just a few months ago, when the U.S. Panel on Multidistrict Litigation agreed to consolidate Benicar lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation for pretrial proceedings there were roughly 35 lawsuits filed against Daiichi Sankyo. Since the MDL was announced, however, the number of Benicar lawsuits added to the action has grown to 1,034 as of September 2015, according to court documents.

Earlier in 2015, the maker of Benicar agreed to pay $39 million to settle claims the company illegally paid kickbacks to doctors for prescribing its medications.

Benicar Bellwether Trials

Coordinated discovery is underway in the Benicar MDL which will likely be followed by a series of bellwether trials. Bellwether trials are a small number of cases selected because they represent a greater number of claims in an MDL.

Attorneys can often use bellwether trials to learn about potential jury responses to witnesses and evidence which will be used in other cases. Additionally, results from bellwether trials are sometimes helpful in reaching settlement agreements before remaining claims in an MDL go before a jury.

Benicar Lawsuits

In addition to the growing number of federal Benicar lawsuits included in this MDL, there are also nearly 60 Benicar lawsuits pending at the state level in New Jersey. Like the claims in the MDL, these lawsuits were filed based on allegations that patients suffered the effects of sprue-like enteropathy, including chronic diarrhea and rapid weight loss, as a result of Benicar side effects they were not sufficiently warned about.

Many Benicar sprue-like enteropathy sufferers were misdiagnosed with celiac disease because this Benicar side effect was not made known, so their suffering was prolonged and, in some cases, led to permanent intestinal damage.

If you or someone you love was diagnosed with Celiac disease or sprue-like enteropathy after using Benicar, you may be eligible to join a Benicar lawsuit to obtain compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages.