A new research study suggests that several drugs, including the blood pressure medication Benicar, can trigger symptoms very similar to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or celiac disease.

The paper was published in the International Journal of Celiac Diseases by a team from the University of British Columbia’s Department of Medicine. The paper mentioned that in true celiac diseases like IBS, religiously avoiding gluten can greatly improve the symptoms of the disorder. However, the paper mentions that several disorders can closely mimic the symptoms of celiac disease, disorders referred to as “sprue-like intestinal disease.” Unlike true IBS and celiac disease, these related disorders don’t respond to changes in diet.

Among the disorders that mimic IBS are certain drug-induced conditions. Benicar is the U.S. trade name of a drug called Olmesartan. The drug is designed to lower blood pressure. However, the paper includes Benicar among the drugs that can trigger IBS-like disorders, along with certain newer cancer drugs. Under some circumstances, these conditions can persist for months, and may require expensive, lengthy hospitalization to treat these complications. Severe enough sprue-like illnesses can lead to problems getting enough nutrients from food, since digestion is so disrupted. The paper cautioned doctors to watch for these symptoms in patients taking these drugs.

Lawsuits have been filed against the drug-makers in the past, alleging that they were aware, or reasonably should have been, that their drugs could cause serious complications. Drug lawsuits typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care, as well as lost wages and legal fees. Additionally drug lawsuits, like a hypothetical celiac disease lawsuit, are allowed to seek a specific type of damages called punitive damages. Punitive damages are a type of financial award for specific types of civil lawsuits. Instead of compensating the plaintiffs, punitive damages are designed to punish offenders and discourage further violations. U.S. law only allows for punitive damages in certain, very specific situations to avoid abuse. However, drug and medical device lawsuits are among the few situations in that allow punitive damages, if a drug company’s actions are proven to be egregious enough.

In general, Benicar lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

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