Benicar Lawsuit
Since 1995, people have been using Benicar to help manage their high blood pressure. While millions of people no doubt derived benefit from this popular medication, many have also sued the manufacturer, Sankyo, claiming that they’ve suffered from adverse effects. If you’re worried you may be one such user, you should obviously speak to your doctor right away. However, you should also consider pressing charges as well.
Have You Had Intestinal Issues?
Pregnant women should not take Benicar. The medication also has a few other side effects your doctor should have told you about before prescribing it. Other than that, though, you should be able to use Benicar to help control your blood pressure and not have any major issues to worry about.
That’s why, if you’re experiencing intestinal problems, it’s imperative that you speak to your doctor immediately. One problem people had early on was that these side effects mimic Celiac disease. It caused people to experience chronic diarrhea and even malnourishment to the point that they began losing serious amounts of weight. Other intestinal damage occurred too. However, if you have these issues mistakenly diagnosed as Celiac disease, you don’t stand a very good chance of getting any better, especially while you keep taking Benicar.
Villous Atrophy
One especially dangerous side effect that Benicar can cause is called villous atrophy. This means that the lining of your intestines will actually lose its very texture. That texture is extremely important, though, because it’s how the intestines absorb nutrients. Villous atrophy, then, can make it very difficult for people to nourish their bodies despite eating a healthy diet.
Some people who took Benicar have wound up in the hospital. After contracting villous atrophy, they suffered from extreme malnourishment, even dehydration and needed medical intervention just to stay alive.
The FDA Weighs In
Though the FDA has obviously approved Benicar for sale, they also helped sound the alarm that it could be causing people serious intestinal damage too. Between 2002 and 2008, we know that Sankyo spent some $1 billion promoting their medication as being superior to all competitors in its class in terms of overall safety and effectiveness.
The FDA conducted their own studies, though, and found that this wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, this didn’t occur until 2013. According to them, Benicar is the only drug of its kind (it’s classified as being an angiotensin receptor blocker or ARB) that causes the intestinal problems we mentioned above. This completely contradicts the claims made by Benicar.
Benicar Claims
If you believe you’ve been harmed by taking Benicar, it’s important you speak with an attorney. Getting what’s rightfully yours can actually be more difficult than you may think too. Just because you’re currently suffering from intestinal issues and previously took Benicar is no guarantee you’ll win. You need a doctor to testify that they can conclusively prove it was the medication that caused the damage and not something else. Sankyo’s attorneys will definitely try to prove the opposite.
That being said, there have been successful lawsuits since last year. It’s just a matter of going with an attorney who has experience taking large pharmaceutical companies to court and winning.
While your current predicament isn’t fair, it also isn’t one you’re stuck with. You can file a lawsuit against Sankyo and receive damages that will help you pay for any medical services you now need as well as compensate you for your pain and suffering.
