Lawsuit Alleges Side Effects of Benicar Caused Chronic Diarrhea Problems

A Texas woman is the latest in a growing number of individuals to pursue a product liability lawsuit against the makers of Benicar, alleging that side effects of the popular blood pressure medication caused her to suffer chronic diarrhea problems, severe weight loss, nausea and other intestinal health problems.  

The complaint (PDF) was filed earlier this month by Harriet S. Rubin, and her husband Allen, in the Superior Court of New Jersey. However, the drug maker Daiich Sankyo removed the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on March 14.

The case joins a number of other Benicar lawsuits pending in New Jersey, alleging that Daiich Sankyo failed to adequately research their popular medication or provide warnings for consumers and the medical community about the link between Benicar and diarrhea problems known as sprue-like enteropathy.

Harriet Rubin indicates that she developed a number of painful and debilitating medical conditions as a result of Benicar side effects, including sprue-like enteropathy, lymphocytic colitis, microscopic colitis or collagenous colitis, which have left her with severe gastrointestinal problems, malnutrition and dehydration.

The lawsuit indicates that she has suffered serious and life threatening physical injuries, severe emotional distress, physical and mental injuries, and has and will suffer significant medical expenses due to hospitalization, treatment, and ongoing monitoring. Rubin is pursuing claims against Daiichi Sankyo and its partners for designing a defective product, failure to warn, strict liability, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment and violating New Jersey consumer protection laws, among others.

The complaint alleges that Daiichi Sankyo knew or should have known about the risk of Benicar diarrhea problems and sprue-like enteropathy, but failed to disclose the risk until after independent studies were released and the FDA issued a warning last summer.

Benicar Sprue-Like Enteropathy Warning

In July 2013, the FDA issued a drug safety communication informing consumers and the medical community for the first time about the link between Benicar and sprue-like enteropathy, which is a medical condition associated with chronic diarrhea, weight gain and other gastrointestinal problems.

Federal health regulators indicated that users may develop symptoms of chronic diarrhea that begin months or even years after the patients first started the treatment regimen. While the symptoms typically stop when the medication is no longer used, many users have reported suffering continuing problems caused by the prolonged bouts with diarrhea that damage the intestines.

The FDA warnings came nearly a year after a study was published in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings, which highlighted reports of 22 cases of Benicar patients suffering symptoms similar to Celiac disease, which also affects the small intestines. This study was the first to raise public awareness of the potential side effects associated with Benicar, highlighting how many doctors do not know about the connection.

Benicar belongs to a class of drugs known as angiotensin II recepbor blockers (ARBs). It is approved for the treatment of high blood pressure. There were an estimated 10.6 million prescriptions for Benicar or Benicar HCT in 2012.