An increasing number of plaintiffs are filing Benicar lawsuits against Daiichi Sankyo, claiming that the blood pressure drug causes stomach problems like chronic diarrhea.

More than 1,250 lawsuits have been filed against Daiichi Sankyo over a number of complications, including chronic diarrhea and Benicar stomach pain.

Benicar Background

Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) is a widely prescribed blood pressure medication. Benicar is most often used to treat hypertension. Since it was initially approved by the FDA to treat hypertension in 2002, olmesartan drugs have grown increasingly more popular.

Benicar is one of a number of olmesartan drugs that have been introduced to the market in recent years. Other olmesartan medications include Benicar HCT, Tribenzor, and Azor.

These drugs became popular almost immediately after being released onto the market, and by 2012, nearly 2 million people were filling prescriptions for these drugs each year.

However, several studies have shown a strong connection between olmesartan drugs like Benicar and a number of serious Benicar stomach problems. One such study was published by Mayo Clinic researchers back in 2012, and other studies like it have followed.

Side effects linked with Benicar can be anywhere between mild to severe, and include, but are not limited to:

• Villous atrophy
• Sprue-like enteropathy
• Colitis
• Kidney failure
• Malabsorption
• Malnutrition
• Dehydration
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting/Nausea
• Abdominal pain

After reports and studies began linking Benicar and similar olmesartan products with Benicar stomach problems, the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication warning about its complications in July 2013.

According to the warning, the medication was linked with severe stomach pain, chronic diarrhea, weight loss and gastrointestinal problems. The FDA also made label changes to reflect their acknowledgement of these potential Benicar side effects.

Despite the fact that Benicar has been widely available and commonly prescribed for over a decade, the sudden change in its label warning came as a surprise to many Benicar users. There were even doctors who had not previously been aware of the risk of stomach problems linked with Benicar.

Benicar Lawsuits

Many of these lawsuits have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation, or MDL, in the District of New Jersey in order to reduce the potential conflict and complications of going forward with a number of separate cases.

Injured plaintiffs claim in their Benicar lawsuits that the drug’s manufacturers, Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories, either knew or should have known about the risk of Benicar stomach problems linked with their drug, yet failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about these side effects.

Some Benicar lawsuits claim the manufacturers did not adequately research and test their drug, failing to perform long term clinical trials to satisfactorily determine the effects of olmesartan exposure.

Lawsuits further claim that, once the manufacturers became aware of the risk, they continued to market the drug as safe and effective in ways that were potentially misleading to consumers.

Plaintiffs claim that, given adequate warning about the possibility of these side effects, they would have chosen a safer alternative.

If you or someone you know has experienced side effects of a Benicar medication including severe stomach pain or chronic diarrhea, you may be able to file a Benicar lawsuit.

Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of medication side effects, but it can help to compensate for any financial expenses incurred through medical bills or even lost wages.