An Alabama couple is suing the manufacturers of the blood pressure medication Benicar with claims that the chronic diarrhea side effects were so severe it required multiple hospitalizations. Plaintiff Marian L., along with her husband Rodgers L. have filed a Benicar lawsuit against manufacturers Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Pharmaceuticals, claiming the companies intentionally concealed the risks of developing severe intestinal complications, including chronic diarrhea, from consumers and physicians.

Marian alleges she took the blood pressure medication as directed by her physician and it resulted in life-threatening Benicar side effects including:

• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Rapid weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Dehydration
• Debilitating diarrhea
• Nausea
• Acute renal failure

The Benicar lawsuit states that the manufacturers knew that the product was not safe for the intended purpose, yet marketed it regardless. The plaintiffs further allege that manufacturers were negligent, as they failed “to advise physicians, the medical community, or patients taking the olmesartan products (Benicar), that its statements regarding the safety of its products were inaccurate.”

Marian and Rodgers allege they incurred significant medical bills because of the repeated hospitalization required to treat Marian’s condition. They are seeking more than $75,000 in damages to help Marian recover from ongoing physical injuries as well as the emotional distress caused from Benicar side effects.

Benicar Problems

After its FDA approval in 2002, Benicar became one of the most widely prescribed hypertension treatments in the United States. However, it wasn’t on the market very long before the FDA began receiving severe adverse event (SAE) reports from Benicar consumers, stating the medication had serious side effects including chronic diarrhea.

Since the side effects of Benicar can take anywhere from a few months to a few years to develop, it’s not always easy to connect a patient’s gastrointestinal issue with Benicar use. Many consumers continue taking the blood pressure medication for years, even after developing the intestinal condition, because they haven’t linked the two together. Once patients stop taking Benicar, the symptoms typically stop; however, some patients are left with permanent intestinal damage like villous atrophy.

According to the FDA, sprue-like enteropathy has not been a side effect reported with any other high blood pressure medications other than olmesartan containing drugs like Benicar. By 2013, the FDA urged manufacturers to include the serious risk of developing sprue-like enteropathy on Benicar and other olmesartan-containing medication.

Benicar Lawsuits

Plaintiffs in this Benicar lawsuit claim the manufacturers’ conduct was deceptively misleading by omitting the serious side effects on their warning label. They are asking the jury to consider awarding them punitive damages as a way to further punish the “egregious” actions of the drug makers.

As lawsuits against Benicar manufacturers continue to grow, some plaintiffs are choosing to join a Benicar class action lawsuit, while others file individually. Plaintiffs who file as a couple, like Marian and Rodgers, can also sue for loss of consortium, meaning the loss of intimacy, which generally results in higher financial compensation.

The Benicar Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-00192-HGD, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division.