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Federal Benicar Lawsuits Selected for Potential Bellwether Trial in MDL

benicar lawsuits selected for federal mdlThe U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey has announced a pool of 30 federal Benicar lawsuits that will be considered for bellwether trial. The announcement follows a November order detailing how these cases would be randomly selected by the court.

Over 1,100 Benicar lawsuits are pending in a New Jersey multidistrict litigation, according to recent court estimates. Plaintiffs who have filed Benicar lawsuits claim that Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo failed to warn patients and doctors that its popular blood pressure drug can cause a severe gastrointestinal condition known as sprue-like enteropathy. Symptoms of sprue-like enteropathy include nausea, vomiting, chronic diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain.

As explained last month by District Judge Robert Kugler, who has been appointed to handle the Benicar MDL, the plaintiffs and defendants will each be allowed to throw away five of the 30 Benicar lawsuits selected for discovery. The remaining 20 will proceed to bellwether trial in late 2016. The results of these trials will help give lawyers a better picture of how the rest of the litigation will proceed.

If you or someone you know suffered from gastrointestinal issues after using Benicar, contact Lopez McHugh to speak free of charge with an experienced Benicar lawyer. Our lawyers can help you determine if a Benicar lawsuit is right for you.