A Texas woman filed a Benicar lawsuit against drug designer and manufacturer Daiich Sankyo Co. alleging she experienced gastrointestinal problems after taking the popular blood pressure medication.

Harriet S. Rubin and her husband filed a Benicar lawsuit in New Jersey Superior Court in March, but Sankyo had the case removed to the U.S. District Court of New Jersey. Rubin claims to have experienced several painful medical conditions allegedly cause by her use of Benicar. According to her Benicar lawsuit, the side effects experienced by Rubin include: sprue-like enteropathy, lymphocytic colitis, microscopic colitis or collagenous colitis, which have left her with severe gastrointestinal problems, malnutrition and dehydration.

In the Benicar product liability lawsuit, Rubin claims to have suffered life-threatening physical injuries and severe emotional injuries and distress from the side effects allegedly caused by Benicar. As a result of these injuries, Rubin has also experienced financial hardship from medical expenses from her hospitalization.

By allegedly failing to conduct thorough research on its blood pressure medication and failing to warn consumers of the possible risk of GI problems, Rubin alleges that Daiich Sankyo Co. committed several violations including violating New Jersey consumer protection laws.

Background on Benicar

Benicar (also known by its pharmaceutical name Olmesartan) is a widely prescribed hypertension medication. This angiotensin II receptor antagonist drug was first developed by the Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo Company in 1995. More than 11 million prescriptions for Benicar are written yearly.

However, in July 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety notice to Benicar consumers and the medical community, warning of the potential unwanted side effects of using Benicar. According to the FDA notice, there seems to be strong evidence allegedly linking consumption of Benicar and patients developing a condition called sprue-like enteropathy, a medical condition that can cause severe gastrointestinal problems.

This FDA notice comes on the heels of a study published by the Mayo Clinic Proceedings medical journal reporting 22 individual Benicar cases in which the patients taking the blood pressure medication began to exhibit celiac symptoms and complications in the small intestines.

Benicar Side Effects

On the products marketing and labels, Benicar only warns against potential kidney problems. According to recent medical reports, other side effects allegedly experienced by Benicar consumers include:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Sudden and severe weight loss
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Villous atrophy
• Other GI problems regularly misdiagnosed as celiac symptoms

FDA reports have indicated that these symptoms are likely to begin months, and sometimes years, after a patient initially begins taking the blood pressure medication. The GI symptoms generally cease when a consumer discontinue taking Benicar, but some Benicar consumers allege that they continued to suffer GI problems even after they ceased treatment. Some have claimed to experience prolonged periods of diarrhea that caused intestinal damage.

Because of the side effects and medical problems allegedly associated with Benicar, many consumers are choosing to pursue class action lawsuits against Benicar’s manufacturer. Benicar patients who used the blood pressure medication for at least four months and were hospitalized for severe gastrointestinal problems as a result, may qualify to participate in a Benicar class action lawsuit.