Daiichi Sankyo is facing a new Benicar lawsuit from an Oklahoma woman alleging she suffered serious chronic diarrhea and sprue-like enteropathy soon after taking the medication.

The woman alleging Benicar sprue-like enteropathy also alleges chronic intestinal damage and chronic nutritional absorption problems.

Plaintiff Emma H. is joining the growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Daiichi Sankyo, alleging the hypertension medication came with unexpected complications.

She was prescribed Benicar in 2013 to treat her high blood pressure and lower the overall risk of chronic cardiac conditions.

At all times during her prescription, Emma followed all prescription instructions and did not use the medication for anything other than its intended use, according to the lawsuit.

In addition, Emma had followed her physician’s advise and received no warnings of Benicar sprue-like enteropathy from Daiichi Sankyo, she states.

Not long after starting the medication, Emma experienced nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, malabsorption, malnutrition, villous atrophy, sprue-like enteropathy, colitis, and dehydration.

Emma needed emergency intervention, and had incurred serious medical expenses from treatment, the lawsuit states.

Overview of Benicar Sprue Like Enteropathy Complications

Benicar is one of the most popular hypertension medications in the United States, used by millions of Americans throughout the country.

This medication is used to lower blood pressure, which in turn lowers the chances of cardiac disease. Combined with diet and exercise, Benicar would help patients live a longer and healthier life.

However, it was not long after Benicar’s release in the early 2000s, patients began reporting incidents of chronic diarrhea and sprue-like enteropathy.

Benicar patients had been misdiagnosed with Celiac disease due to their symptoms for years, before the Mayo Clinic had found a possible Benicar sprue-like enteropathy correlation.

The Mayo Clinic had conducted a study observing Benicar side effects between 2008 and 2011, which found 22 subjects had experienced side effects similar to Celiac disease.

After none of the patients tested positive for Celiac, researchers concluded a potential Benicar sprue-like enteropathy correlation.

The Mayo Clinic contacted the FDA in 2012 to inform the agency of their findings, which later evolved into an official warning.

In July 2013, the FDA warned patients against Benicar sprue-like enteropathy and required Daiichi Sankyo to add the possible complication to the drug’s warning label.

Even though the warning label helps prevent future cases of Benicar sprue-like enteropathy, it came too late to many patients.

Emma’s Benicar lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages for her medical bills, along with multiple counts of negligence.

Emma states that she never would have taken Benicar if she had known the possibility of sprue-like enteropathy.

The Benicar Sprue-Like Enteropathy Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-06009, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage.