If you had severe diarrhea while using Benicar, a blood pressure medication, you may have a product liability claim and the right to sue for compensation. A class action suit is generally filed on behalf of several claimants who have minor, similar injuries. Severe diarrhea and weight loss is not minor, and the complications and specific damages are different for each person. Because of this, your claim should be filed individually, not as part of a class action suit. Our lawyers can discuss this with you–it’s free. Call 1-888-377-8900 or click here now to request a free consultation and find out if you can sue for diarrhea from Benicar.
FDA Findings and Evidence
The FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication stating that the agency “found clear evidence of an association between olmesartan (marketed as Benicar and other products ) and sprue-like enteropathy” after an evaluation of adverse event reports. Symptoms of sprue-like enteropathy include severe, chronic diarrhea with substantial weight loss. The intestinal issues may develop months to years after starting olmesartan, and sometimes requires hospitalization. Intestinal biopsies of patients often demonstrated villous atrophy (damage to the villi in the small intestine).
You may have been first diagnosed with Celiac disease, a condition that also causes severe, chronic diarrhea. Your doctor may have put you on a gluten-free diet for the Celiac, but it did not work, and your suffering continued. If your symptoms then ceased when you stopped taking Benicar, that is evidence that the medication was the cause of the symptoms, not Celiac disease.
One case report1 discussed how a 64-year-old man had chronic diarrhea and a 25-pound weight loss in 3 months. A gluten-free diet did not resolve the problem and Celiac disease was ruled out. After discontinuing use of olmesartan, his condition improved. The same year, research from the Mayo Clinic2 also found a connection between the medication and sprue-like enteropathy. All 22 patients who were part of the study were seen at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Again, Celiac disease was ruled out, and again, taking the patients off of olmesartan resulted in improvement.
Our Lawyers Can Help You
We are a national product safety law firm that represents clients in lawsuits throughout the United States. Our lawyers have won millions for our clients, including $45 million for people injured by another medical product made by another manufacturer. They have served on federal litigation panels, appointed to the positions by federal court justices.
We work on a contingency basis, meaning we are not paid unless you win. You can call 1-888-377-8900 or click here now if you want a free consultation.
1. Dreifuss, Stephanie E., et al. “Spruelike enteropathy associated with olmesartan: an unusual case of severe diarrhea.” Case reports in gastrointestinal medicine 2013 (2013).
2. Rubio-Tapia, Alberto, et al. “Severe spruelike enteropathy associated with olmesartan.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Vol. 87. No. 8. Elsevier, 2012.