A Benicar lawsuit was filed on March 9 by a Tennessee couple who allege the husband developed dangerous side effects after using the Daiichi Sankyo blood pressure medication Benicar.

Plaintiff Cecil M. and his wife Karen M. have jointly filed this Benicar side effects lawsuits against Daiichi Sankyo Inc., claiming “personal injuries suffered by Plaintiff, Cecil [M.] and Karen [M.’s] loss of consortium, as a proximate result of Benicar being prescribed and ingesting the defective and unreasonably dangerous pharmaceutical blood pressure medication containing the drug olmesartan medoxomil,” according to the Benicar lawsuit.

Prior to the filing of this Benicar side effects lawsuit, Cecil was prescribed Benicar by his primary care physician to manage his blood pressure levels. The plaintiff then took Benicar as directed until he developed several Benicar injuries, including “intestinal diseases/injuries known as sprue-like enteropathy and/or lymphocytic colitis, microscopic colitis, or collagenous colitis.”

As a result of these Benicar injuries, Cecil developed other Benicar side effects, such as “chronic diarrhea, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, malnutrition, and dehydration,” according to the Benicar lawsuit.

Because of the plaintiff’s medical condition allegedly caused by Benicar use, Cecil required extensive medical monitoring, testing, and health care. In their complaint, Cecil and Karen claim:

“Plaintiff has suffered unavoidable, serious and life threatening physical injuries, severe emotional distress, and mental injuries in coping with his physical injuries, and has incurred and expended significant amounts for the medical care, hospitalizations, and medications, required to treat and care for his olmesartan-related disease, pain, and suffering and will continue to do so long into the future.”

This Benicar side effects lawsuit bring several allegations against Daiichi Sankyo, including claims of defective design, failure to warn, gross negligence, negligence, negligence per se, fraudulent concealment, constructive fraud, violation of Tennessee’s Consumer Protection Laws, breach of express and implied warranties, unjust enrichment, punitive damages, and loss of consortium for Karen M.

The Benicar Side Effects Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-00103-PLR-CCS, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Benicar Side Effects and GI Complications

Benicar (olmesartan) is a prescription blood pressure medication designed, manufactured, and sold by Daiichi Sankyo and co-promoted by Forest Laboratories. Since its 2002 FDA approval, Benicar is prescribed to over 11 million people in the United States every year.

The Benicar label only warns consumers of the possibility of kidney failure when taking the hypertension treatment and does not mention the various GI problems, including sprue-like enteropathy, allegedly experienced by Cecil and many other Benicar users.

Additionally, in July 2013, the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication “warning that the blood pressure drug olmesartan medoxomil, marketed as Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor, and Tribenzor, can cause intestinal problems known as sprue-like enteropathy,” according to the Benicar lawsuit.

Benicar users who were prescribed and took Benicar for at least four months and were later hospitalized for Benicar side effects like severe gastrointestinal problems may qualify to file or join a Benicar class action lawsuit.