A Mississippi plaintiff recently filed a lawsuit against Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., alleging that the company’s popular drug Benicar causes bowel problems.

According to the lawsuit, Shirley W. began taking Benicar in 2010, as prescribed by her doctor.

However, shortly after beginning to take Benicar, Shirley began suffering from a variety of bowel problems.

These injuries include the following:

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

On top of these personal injury claims that Benicar causes bowel problems, the lawsuit also claims that the plaintiff suffered various economic losses because of her Benicar injury.

The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including defective design, failure to warn, gross negligence, fraudulent concealment, breach of express and implied warranties, and violation of consumer protection law of Mississippi, among others.

The Benicar lawsuit has been added to the consolidated multidistrict litigation, or MDL, of similar Benicar lawsuits.

Benicar Lawsuits

Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) is a popular drug used to treat hypertension, and is manufactured and distributed by Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. Benicar was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002.

Benicar and a number of other medications containing olmesartan have risen quickly in popularity in recent years. Other olmesartan drugs commonly used across the country include Benicar HCT, Tribenzor, and Azor. By 2012, nearly two million people were filling prescriptions for these olmesartan drugs each year.

Benicar Causes Bowel Problems

While olmesartan drugs like Benicar have only increased in popularity since their release, Benicar has actually been linked to a variety of serious gastrointestinal side effects. Some of these problems are mild, but others can actually be quite severe, and may even require medical treatment.

The FDA issued a drug warning in response to the growing number of Benicar complaints on July 3, 2013. The drug warning noted that Benicar causes bowel problems like chronic diarrhea according to adverse event reports.

The FDA also approved an updated warning label for Benicar that included these side effects.

Benicar Lawsuits

Benicar lawsuits like this claim that Daiichi Sankyo either knew or should have known that Benicar causes bowel problems in some users, some of which may be severe. However, lawsuits allege, the company failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about these risks.

Plaintiffs say that, had Daiichi Sankyo given adequate warning that Benicar causes bowel problems, they would have chosen a safer alternative to Benicar.

Though filing a Benicar lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering experienced by some Benicar users because of these side effects, it can help to compensate for financial expenses that may have been incurred by these problems.

If you or someone you love has taken Benicar or a similar olmesartan drug and since suffered from bowel problems, you may be able to file a Benicar lawsuit.

The Benicar Lawsuit is included in the Benicar Multidistrict Litigation, MDL No. 2606, in the U.S. District Court for the Camden Vicinage of the District of New Jersey.