Although Benicar is a widely used blood pressure medication, it has been linked with a number of serious Benicar adverse effects, including major gastrointestinal injuries.

A growing number of patients who have been affected by these Benicar adverse effects are filing lawsuits against Benicar’s manufacturer, Daiichi Sankyo.

Benicar Background

The popular blood pressure medication, Benicar, also known by its generic name, olmesartan medoxomil, is manufactured by leading pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Benicar to treat hypertension back in 2002. Since its entrance to the market, Benicar has quickly become one of the most popular blood pressure drugs.

However, despite its undeniable popularity, Benicar has actually been linked with a number of serious side effects. As times goes by, more and more patients are coming forward with their own stories of Benicar adverse effects, and some are even filing lawsuits against Daiichi Sankyo over these complications.

The risk of complications linked with olmesartan drugs may affect a large portion of patients. Indeed, nearly 2 million patients fill prescriptions for olmesartan drugs like Benicar each year which is a considerable portion of the blood pressure drug market.

Benicar Adverse Effects

A number of studies have connected Benicar with Benicar adverse effects, including serious gastrointestinal issues. Possible gastrointestinal problems include the following:

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

As more reports of Benicar adverse effects were filed with the FDA, the federal agency responded. In July 2013, the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication warning about Benicar adverse effects, including chronic diarrhea, weight gain, and gastrointestinal issues.

The FDA also noted that Benicar and other olmesartan drugs would change their labels to reflect the potential gastrointestinal Benicar adverse effects.

Benicar Adverse Effects Lawsuits

Benicar patients are becoming increasingly aware of Benicar adverse effects, and as this knowledge spreads, more and more injured patients are coming forward to file lawsuits against Benicar’s manufacturer, Daiichi Sankyo.

So far, the pharmaceutical company has been hit with over 1,250 lawsuits over Benicar adverse effects, including chronic diarrhea, stomach pain and other gastrointestinal issues.

Injured plaintiffs claim in their Benicar lawsuits that the drug’s manufacturers either knew or should have known about the risk of Benicar adverse effects, yet failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about these complications.

Plaintiffs 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.

Given adequate warning about the possibility of these side effects, plaintiffs allege, they would have chosen a safer alternative and avoided these Benicar adverse effects entirely.

If you or someone you love has suffered from Benicar adverse effects, you may be able to file a Benicar lawsuit.

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