Benicar was developed in 1995 for the treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure and was approved for use by the FDA in 2002.

For six years, from 2002 to 2008, pharmaceutical maker Daiichi Sankyo spent nearly $1 billion promoting the product and making claims that their drug was safe and more effective than other hypertensive drugs on the market.

Yet the use of this drug has now been linked to severe Benicar problems, chronic diarrhea, and a severe condition known as sprue-like enteropathy.

What is Benicar?

Benicar (olmesartan) is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) medication manufactured by Forest Laboratories and Daiichi Sankyo. It is commonly prescribed to keep blood vessels dilated in patients with high blood pressure, to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Angiotensin II is a protein that is found naturally in the body and that acts on the cardiovascular system in a variety of ways, including controlling blood pressure.

When angiotensin II is released by the body, it causes blood vessels to narrow, which increases blood pressure and makes the heart work harder to pump blood.

Benicar is designed to block angiotensin II, thereby preventing it from constricting blood vessels, and allowing blood to flow more easily through the body.

Possible Benicar Problems

Since Benicar was first approved by the FDA in 2002, the drug has become one of the most widely-prescribed blood pressure drugs on the market; estimates suggest that doctors write more than 11 million prescriptions for Benicar every year.

However, consumers are just now being warned that use of the popular blood pressure drug may be linked to devastating side effects with long-term consequences.

According to mounting research, Benicar users may face an increased risk of serious medical complications, including the following:

• Chronic diarrhea
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Considerable weight loss
• Intestinal damage
• Villous atrophy
• Colitis
• Celiac disease-like symptoms
• Wrongful death

Benicar FDA Warning

In July 2013, the FDA issued a Benicar warning to consumers and medical professionals after significant research determined a positive link between the high blood pressure drug and a serious gastrointestinal condition called sprue-like enteropathy.

According to studies conducted by the FDA, the Mayo Clinic and the American College of Gastroenterologists, multiple patients taking Benicar reported symptoms such as chronic diarrhea and rapid weight loss. First attributed to celiac disease, these Benicar side effects were later identified as sprue-like enteropathy.

Although the symptoms of sprue-like enteropathy typically subside when use of Benicar is discontinued, the chronic diarrhea complications tied to the drug often leave users with long-term intestinal problems like villous atrophy, which can lead to wrongful death.

In light of these findings, the FDA mandated that the makers of Benicar and other drugs containing olmesartan must reflect the risk of sprue-like enteropathy on the drugs’ warning labels.

Harmed By Benicar Problems?

Over 1,000 Benicar lawsuits have been filed and centralized in a multidistrict litigation, claiming that Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories failed to properly conduct research and testing before making their blood pressure drug available to the public and putting patients at risk of serious Benicar problems.

If you have been diagnosed with sprue-like enteropathy, villous atrophy or other alleged Benicar problems, contact a knowledgeable Benicar lawyer today for legal help.

You may have grounds to file a Benicar lawsuit against the drug maker in order to pursue financial compensation for your injuries, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

The Benicar MDL is In Re:  Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage.