A woman from Georgia is suing the pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo for allegedly causing her to develop severe intestinal and digestive injuries after taking the hypertension drug Benicar.

Like millions of Americans, Robin D. suffered from high blood pressure. Robin’s physician prescribed her Benicar in June 2011. While the drug was effective in stabilizing her blood pressure, Robin claims that it caused her to develop severe intestinal damage and colonic disease manifestations, which will result in her having chronic nutritional problems for years to come.

While under medical supervision, Robin allegedly suffered extreme weight loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and dehydration. Robin’s symptoms caused her pain and embarrassment, and will require ongoing medical supervision.

Robin is taking legal action against Daiichi Sankyo for failing to protect her against the defects of their product. Robin claims that Daiichi Sankyo manufactured a defective product, and further failed to adequately warn consumers about the dangers associated with the drug. Specific charges include negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

Robin’s Benicar Lawsuit is part of the Benicar MDL, In re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL 2606, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Overview of Benicar Complications

Approved to treat high blood pressure in the early 2000s, Benicar has since been prescribed to almost 70 million patients who are contending with the health hazards associated with hypertension. If left unchecked, high blood pressure can cause extreme duress to the body and induce a potentially fatal cardiac attack.

Unfortunately, not long after its release, Benicar patients started reporting severe symptoms like chronic diarrhea or sprue-like enteropathy. A number of patients were wrongly diagnosed with Celiac disease, which worsened their conditions and prolonged their suffering.

The FDA released a public safety warning in July 2013, warning patients that they could suffer chronic diarrhea and chronic intestinal damages from Benicar. The FDA also ordered Daiichi Sankyo to add warnings about the side effects to the drug labels under Warnings and Precautions, but the warning came too late for many patients. Some of those patients, like Robin, have filed Benicar lawsuits alleging that the manufacturer failed to warn them about the serious side effects of Benicar.