Lawsuits for Chronic Diarrhea from Benicar No Longer Accepted

The Benicar lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. previously pursued cases for individuals throughout the United States who experienced severe and debilitating diarrhea or other stomach problems that may have been caused by the popular blood pressure medication.

UPDATE: On August 1, 2017, a $300 million Benicar settlement was reached with the drug makers to resolve certain claims for injuries stemming from use of Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor or Tribenzor prior to May 2015.

Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. is longer reviewing new cases. The content on this page is provided for informational purposes only.

Financial compensation was pursued through Benicar lawsuits as a result of the manufacturer’s failure to adequately warn about the potential side effects, which may have caused users to suffer complications for years that were not properly diagnosed, including:

  • Chronic Diarrhea, Nausea and Vomiting
  • Substantial Weight Loss
  • Villous Atrophy
  • Misdiagnosis of Celiac Disease

In 2013, the FDA required new warnings about the risk of severe diarrhea problems, known as sprue-like entropathy from Benicar. Side effects may stop when the medication is no longer used, but individuals may still be left with long-lasting gastrointestinal damage and chronic malnourishment.

Benicar Diarrhea and Stomach Problems

Benicar (olmesartan medoxomil) is a blockbuster hypertension drug sold by Daiichi Sankyo, which is a member of a class of drugs known as angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).

Several blood pressure drugs sold by Daiichi Sankyo contain the same pharmaceutical ingredient, including:

  • Benicar
  • Benicar HCT
  • Azor
  • Tribenzor

For years, patients have been suffering severe and chronic diarrhea on Benicar, but the connection between the drug and stomach problems was often not diagnosed.

As a result, individuals may be hospitalized repeatedly, develop damage to their intestines and other side effects associated with harsh steroids or other drugs used to treat the diarrhea problems.

Benicar Sprue-Like Enteropathy Warnings

In July 2013, the FDA issued a Benicar warning (PDF), providing information to consumers and the medical community about the risk of sprue-like enteropathy.

Information about the potential Benicar problems was added to the warning label for the first time in late 2013, indicating that the medication may cause chronic diarrhea and weight loss, which may not appear until months or even years after use of the drug first began.

These warnings came more than 10 years after Benicar was approved and nearly a year after an independent report published by Mayo Clinic Proceedings in August 2012, which highlighted the number of patients taking Benicar suffering Celiac disease symptoms, which stopped when the medication was no longer used

Reports have confirmed that chronic diarrhea from Benicar typically stops when the medication is no longer used and resume when the drug is started again. Known as “challenge-dechallenge-rechallenge”, this is strong evidence of a causal connection between Benicar and diarrhea problems.

Chronic diarrhea from Benicar may leave users with serious long-term health complications, even after the symptoms go away. Known as villous atrophy, Benicar may leave former users with:

  • Dehydration
  • Malnourishment
  • Electrolyte Problems
  • Weakened Ability to Fight Off Other Illnesses

Benicar Class Action Lawsuits and Individual Cases

As a result of the manufacturer’s failure to adequately research the potential side effects of Benicar and provide sufficient warnings to users and the medical community, potential Benicar class action lawsuits and individual injury cases were pursued by individuals throughout the United States.

Evidence suggests that Daiichi Sankyo knew or should have known about the link between Benicar and severe stomach injuries, yet the drug maker placed their desire for profits before consumer safety by withholding important safety information.

Users may have been able to avoid severe and debilitating health problems if they had been provided information about the warning signs of Benicar enteropathy, including diarrhea, weight changes, nausea, muscle pain, back pain, throat problems or other symptoms.

In many cases, doctors were unable to diagnose the Benicar problems, often misdiagnosing patients as having celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disorder that usually only occurs among those with a genetic predisposition. This could result in the wrong treatments for the problems, such as following a gluten-free diet or taking steroids.

According to allegations raised in Benicar diarrhea lawsuits, sprue-like enteropathy symptoms identified in peer-reviewed scientific journals and independent medical literature could have been discovered years earlier if the drug makers had properly researched and reviewed the medication.

Clinical trials for Benicar only followed patients for a short period of time, despite knowledge that hypertension drugs are typically prescribed for six months to a year or more.

Benicar Injury Lawyers

New Benicar cases are no longer being accepted. This page is maintained for informational purposes only.