A new Benicar side effects lawsuit was filed against Daiichi Sankyo Incorporated, and several related companies, alleging that the drug caused debilitating side effects.

The Benicar lawsuit filed by plaintiff Marian O. has few details, as it is part of larger litigation against the makers of Benicar that makes similar claims. Benicar is a blood pressure medication, designed to lower the risk of stroke, heart attack, and other problems. However, it has been alleged that Benicar may cause serious side effects.

In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a drug safety announcement and mandated label changes to Benicar. This was based on information that Benicar could cause a constellation of symptoms called “sprue-like enteropathy.” This pathology closely mimics celiac disease symptoms.

For many patients, including Marian, this was the first they discovered that their blood pressure medication could be behind mysterious celiac disease symptoms they experienced.

Celiac disease symptoms can be debilitating. With celiac disease the body reacts violently to gluten, a protein found in wheat. This causes the small intestines to become inflamed and absorb food and moisture poorly, leading to severe stomach cramps, chronic diarrhea, and bloating.

For most patients with celiac disease, a strict exclusion diet to avoid gluten can spare them these symptoms. However, a subset of patients with celiac disease symptoms do not improve on a restriction diet, and if such a patient’s symptoms were caused by Benicar, they could have suffered celiac disease symptoms for years before realizing the true cause.

Benicar lawsuits like the one filed by Marian allege that many patients suffered from celiac disease symptoms caused by Benicar. Some cases have involved patients that suffered for years. Patients allegedly became malnourished, since sprue-like enteropathy can make it difficult to absorb nutrition from their food.

Some patients have reported drastic, dangerous weight loss of more than 100 pounds due to years of chronic diarrhea. Benicar lawsuits allege that cases of sprue-like enteropathy have been reported in Benicar patients for years, and the makers of Benicar did not warn the public that sprue-like enteropathy could have been caused by this blood pressure medication.

Benicar lawsuits like this one seek to recoup the cost of medical care related to sprue-like enteropathy, as well as lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering. These Benicar lawsuits also seek to enforce punitive damages, a type of award the court system uses to punish offenders and discourage further offenses.

Punitive damages are strictly controlled in the court system to avoid abuses, but drug lawsuits are one of the few situations when they are allowed under the law.

The Benicar Lawsuit is Case No. 0:15-cv-00176, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.