A new study in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics has found that intestinal side effects caused by using Benicar (olmesartan) are similar to the symptoms of celiac disease.
Benicar is Japan-based company Daiichi Sankyo’s bestselling hypertension drug. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Benicar in 2002, and since then the drug has been prescribed to over 11 million U.S. patients. But in 2013, the agency released a safety communication warning it had “found clear evidence of an association between [Benicar] and sprue-like enteropathy,” a serious intestinal disease with celiac-like symptoms such as vomiting, severe diarrhea, and rapid weight loss.
A multidistrict litigation has been established in federal court in New Jersey to coordinate findings in over a thousand Benicar lawsuits. Plaintiffs who have filed Benicar lawsuits claim that Daiichi Sankyo did not adequately test its product before release, and for over a decade failed to properly monitor the adverse events it caused.
The new study observed patients diagnosed with olmesartan-associated enteropathy before or after discontinuing Benicar. Biopsies revealed that patients who were taking Benicar had an increased number of certain gastrointestinal cells also stimulated by gluten in celiac patients. The researchers found that Benicar side effects resembled celiac response to gluten both in the symptoms exhibited and the immunopathogenic pathways involved.
Check with your doctor about any health risks a medication may pose. If you or a loved one suffered from an intestinal condition such as sprue-like enteropathy after taking Benicar, contact the lawyers at Lopez McHugh today to speak free of charge with a qualified olmesartan attorney.
