A Wyoming woman has filed a complaint against Daiichi Sankyo claiming Benicar sprue-like enteropathy was the reason she suffered injury and economic loss.

This lawsuit will join a larger MDL, or multidistrict litigation, that has consolidated other similar lawsuits regarding Benicar sprue-like enteropathy and other adverse side effects of the hypertension drug.

Plaintiff Andrea C. claims she suffered from abdominal pain, collagenous colitis and liquid stools as a result of Benicar use.

Andrea, according to her complaint, was unable to hold gainful employment due to her symptoms, underwent psychological damage, experienced economic loss as well as severe mental and physical pain. She claims that she suffered damages including past, present and future medical expenses, the need for medical monitoring, lost earnings and the capacity for earning.

In her complaint, the plaintiff also notes that she experienced pain and suffering, emotional distress and the loss of enjoyment of life.

She also claims she experienced a condition known as Benicar sprue-like enteropathy.

Sprue-like enteropathy is a condition that presents in very similar ways to celiac disease. Celiac disease sufferers have a severe intolerance to gluten.

Symptoms of celiac disease include chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain and bloating, fatigue and weight loss. With celiac disease, sufferers also experience damage to the intestinal villi which results in malabsorption of nutrients and gastrointestinal issues.

The use of hypertension drug Benicar has been linked to the development of sprue-like enteropathy in patients. Symptoms of Benicar sprue-like enteropathy include severe, chronic diarrhea paired with substantial weight loss.

Often, patients have been misdiagnosed with celiac disease when the true cause of their life-altering symptoms is Benicar sprue-like enteropathy.

Like Andrea, other patients who have developed this condition have filed products liability lawsuits against the makers of Benicar. Many plaintiffs claim that Daiichi Sankyo knew or should have known about the connection between sprue-like enteropathy and Benicar.

The MDL long complaint says: “Despite this mounting evidence and the growing number of adverse event reports, both formal and informal, defendants have, to this day, failed to adequately inform plaintiffs, healthcare providers and the general public of the existence of a causal association between the use of olmesartan products and plaintiffs’ injuries.” Olmesartan is the active ingredient in Benicar.

Plaintiffs also claim that the drug maker aggressively marketed their drug for years even though the FDA found Daiichi Sankyo’s efficacy and safety claims unsubstantiated and false or misleading. The FDA reportedly found that there was no evidence that Benicar was superior to other drugs in the same class and that Daiichi should have included risk information in its marketing materials, the lawsuit claims.

This Benicar Sprue-Like Enteropathy Lawsuit is Case No. 1:17-cv-02467-RBK-JS, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage.