According to the findings of an important new study, a patient’s risk of suffering Benicar complications like chronic diarrhea and sprue-like enteropathy may increase significantly after the first year of treatment. In the study, which was presented at the Digestive Disease Week convention in Chicago and has not yet been published, Benicar users may be ten times more likely to be hospitalized for gastrointestinal side effects after using the controversial blood pressure drug for two years. If you took the blood pressure drug Benicar, and you have since been diagnosed with a serious gastrointestinal problem like chronic diarrhea, consult a knowledgeable Benicar attorney today for legal help. You may have grounds to file a Benicar lawsuit against Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories, in order to pursue financial compensation for your injuries.
Benicar was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, and for years, consumers and medical professionals were unaware of the potential for Benicar to cause serious gastrointestinal problems like chronic diarrhea, significant weight loss, sprue-like enteropathy and villous atrophy, an irreversible condition that deteriorates the tiny villi in the intestines that help the body absorb nutrients. As a result of this lack of transparency on the part of Benicar makers Daiichi Sankyo and Forest Laboratories, Benicar users suffering such devastating complications were often misdiagnosed with celiac disease or unclassified sprue, and use of the potentially dangerous blood pressure drug continued.
The first warning regarding the risk of sprue-like enteropathy from Benicar use was issued by the FDA in July 2013, and federal regulators stressed the importance of physicians recognizing that symptoms of the condition may develop long after Benicar treatment is first begun. In this new Benicar study, researchers from the French Health Insurance Fund and the University of Paris analyzed data involving more than nine million patient-years of research from 2007 to 2012. According to their findings, Benicar use was actually associated with slightly lower rates of hospitalization for gastrointestinal problems during patients’ first year of use. However, after one year of Benicar treatment, the risk of hospitalization more than tripled, and after two years of treatment, the study authors found that the risk of hospitalization for severe intestinal malabsorption from Benicar was 9.53 times higher.
Although research shows that the symptoms of chronic diarrhea from Benicar typically dissipate when use of the medication is discontinued, reports indicate that many patients are left with permanent intestinal damage as a result of the treatment. If you believe you have been adversely affected by side effects of Benicar, such as chronic diarrhea, severe weight loss, sprue-like enteropathy, or villous atrophy, our consumer advocates at the Consumer Justice Foundation can help. We are dedicated to protecting the rights of consumers harmed by dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, and can help put you in touch with a qualified lawyer who has experience handling Benicar injury claims.
