A Benicar complications lawsuit was filed by a Washington woman against manufacturer Daiichi Sankyo for allegedly selling a dangerous hypertension medication.

Plaintiff Judi H. alleges Benicar caused her to develop severe diarrhea and sprue-like enteropathy that caused debilitating complications.

Like millions of American in the United States, Judi had been suffering from high-blood pressure and was at risk of heart disease or sudden cardiac attack. To combat this, she was prescribed Benicar in 2008 and would continue to use it for two years.

Sometime in 2010, the plaintiff allegedly had to discontinue her Benicar prescription because she had started experiencing chronic diarrhea, sprue-like enteropathy, and other similar side effects. These complications led to Judi to suffer gastrointestinal injury, malnutrition, weight loss, malaborsoption, and dehydration, according to her Benicar lawsuit.

Her condition had deteriorated so much that it required her to be hospitalized, where she underwent diagnostic testing and treatment. Once it was discovered that she had a Benicar prescription, she was immediately taken off the drug and began to show improvement.

Eventually she was diagnosed with Benicar diarrhea symptoms, after celiac disease was ruled out. According to her Benicar lawsuit, Daiichi Sankyo made no effort to warn of the risk of these symptoms.

The Benicar lawsuit alleges that Daiichi Sankyo had the responsibility to warn Benicar users of all possible complications the product can cause. Judi claims that she never would have taken Benicar if she had known about the risk of Benicar diarrhea complications.

The Benicar lawsuit accuses Daiichi Sankyo of negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This Benicar Lawsuit is Case No. 0:15-cv-02407-ADM-BRT, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

Overview of Benicar Complications

Benicar was introduced in the United States in the early 2000s, when it was approved to treat high blood pressure in adult patients. According to court records, between 2002 and 2008 Daiichi Sankyo spent $1 billion in marketing expenses to promote Benicar.

This strategy worked, as Benicar became the most popular choice of hypertension treatment in the country. For years, Daiichi Sankyo and its American collaborators have claimed Benicar to be superior in treatment mechanism and efficiency to other hypertension drugs.

However, after receiving a significant number of reports of gastrointestinal ailments blamed on the drug, the FDA sent Daiichi Sankyo a warning letter in 2006 criticizing Benicar advertisements, pointing out the lack of emphasis on possible side effects.

Many  Benicar users who suffered serious side effects have chosen to file legal action against Daiichi Sankyo for allegedly failing to warn them against the dangers of the product.