French Medical Study Provides More Support For Link Between Benicar and Substantial Weight Loss Side Effects
In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning concerning the hypertension (high blood pressure) medication Benicar and similar drugs called angiotensin II receptor antagonists. The FDA warned consumers about dangerous side effects such as severe diarrhea and extreme weight loss with Benicar. Now, a new French study reinforces the FDA’s concerns over this drug’s dangers.
Benicar (the brand name for olmesartan medoxomil) was approved to treat high blood pressure by the FDA in 2002. It has since been prescribed to millions of Americans. But, in many cases, those treated with the drug suffered such gastrointestinal maladies as severe intestinal malabsorption, excessive diarrhea, and extreme weight loss. The intestine is an important organ in our bodies because it is where nutrients from the food we digest are absorbed into our bloodstream. If the intestine is not absorbing nutrients adequately, or is emptied before absorption can take place, it can lead to malnutrition.
Many patients who were suffering from these side effects were initially misdiagnosed as having celiac disease and were unsuccessfully treated for it until their condition was later linked to their being treated with Benicar.
The French study found that intestinal malabsorption usually occurred after about a year after treatment with Benicar began and had the potential to do permanent damage to the intestines. If you have been prescribed Benicar and suffered adverse side effects, you may have grounds for a legal claim against the medication’s manufacturer Daiichi Sankyo, Japan’s second largest pharmaceutical corporation. But making a successful injury claim against a pharmaceutical giant is no easy task. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and their insurers employ armies of attorneys to mitigate the impact of their medications’ harmful side effects.
To get the settlement you deserve, it is important to have an aggressive pharmaceutical litigation attorney on your team. Farah & Farah is currently investigating Benicar related injuries nationwide. Call Farah & Farah for a free consultation at (800) 533-3555.
