By mid-October 2015, more than 1,077 lawsuits regarding Benicar, a blood pressure drug, have been filed. These cases were filed within a 2015 Benicar MDL in New Jersey after professionals found Benicar caused severe gastrointestinal symptoms among consumers. Tribenzor, Azor, Benicar HCT and Benicar are all included in the litigation since all four drugs are manufactured by Daiichi Sankyo. Benicar received FDA approval in 2002. The other three drugs gained FDA approval later. The active ingredient in all four drugs is Olmesartan, which users have alleged caused severe side effects such as excessive weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
The symptoms are associated with sprue-like enteropathy, a disease of the small intestine. In effect, when a patient experiences sprue-like enteropathy, the small intestines are unable to absorb nutrients from food eaten by the patient. Patients may also develop a condition known as villous atrophy, which causes the lining of the intestines to lose texture, also making it difficult to absorb nutrients. These serious symptoms can be life-threatening if the medication is not discontinued.
Mayo Study Concluded Patients Could Experience Serious Benicar Side Effects
Some consumers experienced symptoms as soon as 90 days after beginning Olmesartan. One Mayo Clinic article reported a study of 22 patients, fourteen of whom experienced serious diarrhea and weight loss, ending up in the hospital after taking Benicar. Many patients who have taken Benicar over the years have been misdiagnosed with celiac disease or some other intestinal ailment. The FDA issued a safety announcement two years ago regarding the potentially harmful effects of Benicar. At that time, the FDA mandated that Benicar’s warning labels would be changed to include adequate warnings for consumers and medical providers.
Daiichi Sankyo Charged with Violations of the False Claims Act
The Department of Justice recently reached a $39 million settlement with Daiichi Sankyo in order to settle charges of Medicare Fraud and violations of the False Claims Act. The company was charged with offering kickbacks to physicians who prescribed Benicar as well as other similar medications. In this particular case, drug reps were taking physicians out for expensive meals, and paying them for speaking engagements, in an effort to persuade them to administer specific drugs. The current lawsuits against Daiichi Sankyo claim the drug manufacturer either knew or should have known the risks associated with Benicar and the other three similar drugs, yet withheld that information from the medical community and consumers.
Did Daiichi Sankyo Conduct Adequate Research for Benicar?
The way the manufacturer could have protected the public was through thorough research and testing prior to selling Benicar to the public. Unfortunately, clinical trials for Benicar were conducted only for a three-month period. Considering a diagnosis of high blood pressure is generally considered a lifelong condition, it hardly seems a long enough trial to determine true side effects. Another important fact for the consumer to know when considering this drug is that other drugs in its class do not cause these severe gastrointestinal problems.
Contact Our National Dangerous Drug Lawyers
If you are one of the many patients who suffered injury as a result of taking Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor and Tribenzor, you could be eligible for compensation. It could be advantageous for you to speak to a knowledgeable dangerous drug injury attorney to explore your options and ensure your rights are protected.
To learn more about your legal options or to schedule a free consultation, call the Philadelphia dangerous drug attorneys at Golomb Legaltoday at 1-800-355-3300 or 1-215-985-9177 or fill out our confidential Contact Form.
The national dangerous drug attorneys at Golomb Legalhave successfully represented individuals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and throughout the United States.