An Azor lawsuit has been filed against the Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo Inc. by an Iowa couple who allege the wife suffered severe personal injuries directly related to her use of the blood pressure medication Azor.

Azor, like Benicar, is an olmesartan hypertension medication, part of a new family of drugs known as angiotensin II receptor antagonist drug. Both Azor and Benicar are designed, manufactured, and sold by Daiichi.

Plaintiff Kalawatti Kay Scheffler was reportedly first prescribed Azor in January 2011 and continued to take the hypertension medication as directed for some time. According to the Azor lawsuit, Scheffler suffered several injuries including sprue-like enteropathy “with severe, chronic diarrhea resulting in substantial weight loss and malnutrition and was thus caused to sustain severe and permanent personal injuries, pain, and suffering while still actively taking Azor.”

Because of these injuries, Scheffler needed constant medical monitoring, screening, tests, and treatments and will require more in the future.

Scheffler and her husband James have filed this Azor lawsuit lodging several claims against Daiichi including design defect, failure to warn, gross negligence, negligence, negligence per se, fraudulent concealment, constructive fraud, violation of Iowa’s Consumer Protection Laws, unjust enrichment, and loss of consortium.

In this Azor lawsuit, Scheffler is seeking relief from Daiichi in the form of compensatory, treble, and punitive damages, payment of attorney’s fees, and any other forms of relief so deemed fit by the court.

The Azor Lawsuit is Scheffler, et al. v. Daiichi Sankyo Inc., et al., Case No. 4:14-cv-00450-JAJ-RAW, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.

Background on Benicar (Olmesartan)

As previously stated, Benicar and Azor are popular hypertension medications both made from the drug olmesartan. Since Benicar was introduced into the U.S. drug market, over 11 million patients have been prescribed the Daiichi drug every year.

However, over the last few years, researchers have discovered the use of Benicar and other olmesartan drugs have a high correlation with patient development of several risky health conditions and a number of harmful Benicar side effects.

In light of these Benicar side effect studies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a public health notice in July 2013, warning Benicar consumers of sprue-like enterophathy and related gastrointestinal (GI) problems allegedly caused by the hypertension medication.

Some other Benicar side effects experienced by consumers include:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Sudden and severe weight loss
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Villous atrophy
• Other GI problems regularly misdiagnosed as celiac symptoms

Scheffler is not the only patient to allegedly suffer from severe GI health problems after taking Azor or Benicar. Benicar users who were prescribed and consumed the Daiichi blood pressure medication for at least four months and were then hospitalized for severe gastrointestinal problems should consider filing a Benicar lawsuit or joining a Benicar class action lawsuit.