Daiichi Sankyo is facing a new Benicar lawsuit filed by a man from Missouri who alleges that side effects of Benicar caused him to suffer severe, chronic intestinal complications.

Plaintiff Carlos Lee H. filed the Benicar lawsuit, joining thousands of others in multidistrict litigation raising similar allegations that the blood pressure drug Benicar causes an increased risk of medical complications including:

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

Specifically, Carlos Lee’s Benicar lawsuit alleges that shortly after he began taking Benicar in 2004 to treat his high blood pressure, he began experiencing these serious gastrointestinal side effects of Benicar.

Diagnosed with villous atrophy, sprue-like enteropathy, and Benicar diarrhea, Carlos suffered daily from Benicar related symptoms as incurred substantial medical expenses resulting from these alleged injuries.

By filing this Benicar lawsuit, Carlos Lee is seeking to hold Daiichi Sanyko and its partner, Forrest Laboratories, responsible for failing to warn Benicar users of these dangerous and serious side effects.

What is Benicar?

Benicar is a medication approved for high blood pressure treatment, either alone or with other antihypertensive agents. Until the recent FDA warning, Benicar’s product label did not warn users about the risk of side effects of Benicar such as sprue-like enteropathy.

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, with estimates suggesting that doctors write more than 11 million prescriptions for Benicar every year.

The FDA has stated that the benefits of this medication still outweigh its probable dangers when used to treat high blood pressure, but users are vulnerable to adverse side effects of Benicar.

In addition, the FDA mentioned in its warning that none of the other medications prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure have this high of a risk of severe adverse side effects.

Alleged Side Effects of Benicar

Of the Benicar side effects associated with the use of the drug, sprue-like enteropathy appears to be the most severe.  Sprue-like enteropathy leads to symptoms that can appear to be similar to celiac disease, which is a condition whereby people have negative reactions to gluten.

Those who file a Benicar lawsuit are likely experiencing sprue-like enteropathy symptoms that include severe, chronic Benicar diarrhea, ongoing abdominal pains, loss of appetite, vomiting, dehydration ad rapid and massive weight loss.

The link between Benicar and sprue-like enteropathy was first uncovered in 2012, when researchers at the Mayo Clinic found that over a three-year period, 22 patients taking Benicar displayed symptoms suggestive of celiac disease, however, blood tests for the patients did not support the diagnosis.  When patients stopped taking the drug, their gastrointestinal symptoms improved.

Filing a Benicar Lawsuit

As more information comes to light about the alleged side effects of Benicar, lawyers across the country are investigating Benicar injury claims brought on behalf of patients who have endured years of chronic Benicar diarrhea and other serious medical problems with no inkling that the problems may be linked to their blood pressure medication.

Anyone who has taken the blood pressure drug and has experienced adverse side effects of Benicar may be entitled to file a Benicar lawsuit against Daiichi Sankyo. If you or someone you know has taken Benicar, or any other drug with olmesartan in it, and experienced the adverse side effects described above, contact an experience Benicar drug injury attorney to receive a free, confidential case evaluation.

The Benicar Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-01134-RBK-JS and is filed within the larger Benicar MDL In Re:  Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2606, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, Camden Vicinage.