Depositions are expected to begin early next year for over 1,000 federal Benicar lawsuits filed by patients who claim the blood pressure drug caused severe gastrointestinal problems. In a recent court order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider scheduled depositions of defendants’ employees to commence on January 18, with two depositions each week until February 26.
Benicar, Daiichi Sankyo’s brand-name olmesartan, was approved in 2002 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of patients with high blood pressure. According to the drug’s official website, Benicar has been prescribed to over 11 million patients in the United States. But it wasn’t until 12 years later that the FDA released a safety alert saying it had “found clear evidence of an association between [Benicar] and sprue-like enteropathy,” a complex of serious gastrointestinal issues. Patients who before had been diagnosed with celiac disease and other intestinal conditions began to come forward and file Benicar lawsuits.
Benicar lawsuits claim that Daiichi Sankyo did not warn patients and doctors of Benicar’s serious intestinal side effects, and failed to sufficiently monitor its product after it went to market. If they had, Benicar lawsuit plaintiffs argue, numerous cases of severe diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss could have been avoided. Instead, Daiichi Sankyo put profits before safety.
All federal Benicar lawsuits were consolidated earlier this year in a multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The first federal Benicar lawsuit trials are expected to begin late next year.
Talk to your doctor about any health concerns you may have. If you or a loved one suffered sprue-like enteropathy or other severe gastrointestinal side effects after taking Benicar, you should contact the Benicar lawyers at Lopez McHugh for a free consultation. You may be eligible to file a Benicar lawsuit.
