Another Benicar lawsuit has joined the multidistrict litigation against Daiichi Sankyo Pharmaceuticals and Forest Laboratories LLC.

Cases in the MDL allege the companies were aware that long-term use of the blood pressure medication was likely to cause a host of serious and, in some cases, life-threatening diseases, yet failed to adequately warn physicians and patients of these risks.

Plaintiff Jack D., a Mississippi resident, claims in his Benicar lawsuit that he was prescribed and began to take Benicar in 2002 to treat his high blood pressure. According to Jack, the blood pressure drug caused him to suffer nausea, chronic diarrhea, villous atrophy, sprue-like enteropathy, colitis, and other intestinal injuries.

The Benicar lawsuit further alleges Daiichi Sankyo knew and, in fact, advertised and promoted the use of Benicar medication despite its failure to test or otherwise determine the safety and efficacy of such use. Allegedly as a direct and proximate result of Daiichi Sankyo’s widespread promotional activity, physicians began commonly prescribing the blood pressure drug as safe and effective.

Benicar Medication Overview

Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Inc. developed the popular prescription medication Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) to treat high blood pressure. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Benicar for commercial sale in April 2002. Since then it has become the most widely prescribed blood pressure medication in the country.

Benicar is an angiotension II receptor blocker (ARB). Many patients can trace their high blood pressure to the effects of angiotension II, which can cause blood vessels to narrow. Benicar medication is designed to block angiotension II, allowing a patient’s blood vessels to expand. This can reduce blood pressure.

Side Effects of Benicar

Patients taking Benicar under the recommended dosage have experienced major complications, including:

• Severe, chronic diarrhea with substantial weight loss
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Villous atrophy
• Lymphocytic, collagenous and/or microscopic colitis

Sprue-like enteropathy and villous atrophy are both conditions involving destruction of the intestinal lining that are characterized by severe, chronic diarrhea, malabsorption, and substantial weight loss. These conditions often result in repeat hospitalizations and in some cases cause secondary complications such as renal failure.

The conditions can develop months to years after starting Benicar use. Patients with Benicar-induced gastrointestinal problems are often misdiagnosed with celiac disease.

Benicar Lawsuits

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, putting patients at risk of serious Benicar injuries.

If you or someone you love suffered from chronic diarrhea, colitis or other serious side effects after using Benicar, you may be eligible to join a Benicar lawsuit to obtain compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages.

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.