A Florida resident recently filed a Benicar lawsuit against Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories due to the personal and economic injuries he allegedly suffered from after using Benicar.

Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil), a drug used to treat hypertension, has recently been associated with multiple medical complications which have sparked a series of lawsuits for defectiveness and failure to adequately warn consumers of the risks.

According to the Benicar lawsuit, plaintiff Thomas G. allegedly suffers from severe medical complications as a direct result of using Benicar. These Benicar complications include, but are not limited to, gastrointestinal issues, severe chronic diarrhea, rapid and substantial weight loss, severe malnutrition, and severe dehydration. The Benicar lawsuit also alleges that Thomas has suffered both economic injuries and lost wages because of ingesting Benicar.

These Benicar complications have lead plaintiff Thomas to allege in the lawsuit that Daiichi Sankyo either prescribed a defective drug or failed to adequately warn consumers and the medical community of the known risks associated with that drug.

Thomas is suing the defendants on multiple counts, including product liability, gross negligence, fraudulent concealment, breach of express and implied warranties, and punitive damages, along with nine other counts.

Benicar and the FDA

Benicar tablets were first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat hypertension in 2002.

On July 3, 2013, the FDA followed up this approval with a Drug Safety Communication warning that the drug Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil), also marketed as Benicar HCT, Azor, and Tribenzor, can cause medical complications such as sprue-like enteropathy. Sprue-like enteropathy is a serious intestinal problem which causes such complications as chronic diarrhea, weight loss, and other serious gastrointestinal problems.

The FDA approved changes to the label of these drugs that would include warnings about sprue-like enteropathy. In their official recommendation for label changes, as warnings to consumers and the medical community, the FDA included several of their findings.

Olmesartan medoxomil drugs have been extremely popular, as well as widely distributed since their approval. In 2012, approximately 1.9 million patients received a dispensed prescription for olmesartan-containing products from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies.

Several studies have shown a connection between olmesartan medoxomil and sprue-like enteropathy, as well as other gastrointestinal problems, including a study published by Mayo Clinic researchers in 2012. Numerous case studies have been published in recent years.

Benicar Lawsuits

Other Benicar lawsuits have claimed that Daiichi Sankyo failed to perform reasonable and necessary prolonged clinical trials to determine the effects of longer term cumulative exposure to olmesartan.

Plaintiffs in these Benicar lawsuits allege that Daiichi Sankyo has, over the years, marketed their Benicar products in false or misleading ways which omit and/or minimize the potential risks associated with the drug.

In general, plaintiffs claim that the company continued to make claims as to the efficacy of their products, but did not conduct any clinical outcome trials that would prove this efficacy. In contrast, makers of the other ARB drugs available have performed such clinical outcome trials to investigate long-term risks, according to Benicar lawsuits.

If you or someone you know has experienced adverse effects after taking Benicar, you may have legal claim.

The Benicar Lawsuit is Case No: 1:15-cv-06383-RBK-JS, in the U.S. District Court District of New Jersey Camden Vicinage and the Benicar MDL is In Re: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606.