There are approximately 1,250 Benicar lawsuits pending in the federal court system, involving similar claims of chronic diarrhea and intestinal damage.

Each of the patients involved in these Benicar lawsuits had all been prescribed the drug for hypertension but had to contend with potentially permanent digestive problems soon after.

Since April 2015 patients and their loved ones have been filing claims throughout the federal court system over the potential side effects of Benicar, with injuries like chronic Benicar diarrhea or sprue-like enteropathy.

The discovery process will begin soon for a small group of Benicar lawsuits which will become eligible for early bellwether trials.

These Benicar lawsuits have been consolidated under U.S. District Judge Robert Kugler in the District of New Jersey for coordinated pretrial proceedings, as part of the multidistrict litigation (MDL) process. Following the pretrial process, a group of 30 Benicar lawsuits have been selected by the court earlier this year for an initial bellwether pool selection.

After a small number of cases had been voluntarily dismissed, Judge Kugler identified three backup cases for the bellwether program in a letter sent to the attorney of both parties. With the number of potential bellwether Benicar lawsuits dwindling, the first half of the bellwether trials is expected to begin by late 2017.

By consolidating these Benicar lawsuits, litigation resources are preserved and chances of duplicate discovery and conflicting rulings from different judges avoided.

Overview of Benicar Side Effects

The side effects of Benicar involved in the case not only indicate sprue like enteropathy or other such problems, but also point out that the effected patients had suffered severe weight loss and nutritional deficiency that may last years after stopping the drug.

Even though there have been patients who had their Benicar diarrhea resolved after they stopped taking the medication, this has not been the case for many patients.

Benicar was first approved by the FDA in the early 2000s to be a treatment option for patients suffering from high blood pressure and hypertension. While it reportedly worked well in patients, it was not long after its release that patients started reporting Benicar diarrhea and chronic side effects.

The side effects of Benicar became a legal battle for Daiichi Sankyo, the drug manufacturer, after the FDA required the company to update the drug’s warning label in July 2013. This update to the warning label stated that patients could suffer chronic Benicar diarrhea, sprue-like enteropathy, intestinal damages, and similar complications.

This warning came after the FDA received an overwhelming number of injury reports indicating Benicar diarrhea, with permanent gastrointestinal damage as a consequential effect of the drug. Previously it was thought that these patients were suffering from Celiac disease, but clinical studies showed that Benicar patients tested negative for this condition.

Patients who have suffered from the effects of chronic Benicar diarrhea reportedly contend with nutritional deficiency and reduced digestive function. Patients allege that Daiichi Sanyo was aware of the risks associated with Benicar, but did nothing to warn patients or the medical community.

Benicar patients effected by these complications may be eligible to file legal action against Daiichi Sankyo, and should contact a specialized lawyer.