Millions of people are written prescriptions each year for hypertension drugs like Azor and Benicar (generic olmesartan), but new research has linked the drugs to gastrointestinal side effects.

A gastrointestinal side effects lawsuit was filed by plaintiff William H. von Eberstein, Jr. of Louisiana over Azor side effects.

Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007, Azor was meant to treat high blood pressure. About a year later, in late 2008, von Eberstein’s physician prescribed him Azor to combat his hypertension.

Soon thereafter his intestinal problems began. According to his Azor lawsuit, von Eberstein “developed serious and dangerous side effects including sprue-like enteropathy, including severe, chronic diarrhea with substantial weight loss and malnutrition as well as other severe and personal injuries in which Plaintiff suffered physical pain and mental anguish, including diminished enjoyment of life, any and all life complications caused by [his] intestinal problems, all past, present and future.”

According to the Azor lawsuit, von Eberstein did not know of the connection between the drug and his health complications until 2013, when the FDA informed the public that “use of the high blood pressure medication Azor may be associated with an increased risk of sprue-like enteropathy,” and went on to list the symptoms he was suffering. The Azor label wasn’t updated until then, almost five years after von Eberstein started the medication.

The Azor side effects lawsuit against Daiichi Seiyaku, the manufacturer, accuses the company of failure to warn, defective design, breach of express warranty, and damages.

The Azor Lawsuit is William H. von Eberstein Jr. and Teresa Breland von Eberstein v. Daiichi Seiyaku, et al., Case No. 2:14-cv-00089-JCZ-KWR, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Azor (olmesartan/amlopidine) was linked to chronic diarrhea and weight loss by researchers at the Mayo Clinic in a study published in 2012. The FDA warned the public in 2013 about the dangerous gastrointestinal side effects tied to blood pressure medication Azor.

Not only were patients warned of the risk of “sprue-like enteropathy, including severe, chronic diarrhea with substantial weight loss and malnutrition in patients taking Azor,” but also that development of these problems could begin months to years after starting the drug.

While the label was changed to reflect this information when the warning was announced, it was already too late for many patients. von Eberstein’s claim says that the Defendants “failed to adequately conduct complete and proper testing of Azor prior to and following the submission of its New Drug Application for Azor.”

Plaintiffs in Azor lawsuits share similar allegations, adding that the defendants knew or should have known that Azor use in humans was associated with and/or would cause intestinal problems. The Azor lawsuit said that neither von Eberstein, nor his doctor, knew of the link between the medication and GI health issues.

Had he and his doctor been adequately warned of the potentially side effects, von Eberstein said he would have chosen a different medication. The diarrhea symptoms from olmesartan, if left untreated, can cause permanent damage to the intestines, and a host of other infirmities, including electrolyte imbalance. However, patients have been shown to improve after discontinuation of the drug.