Judicial Panel Asked to Consolidate Benicar Personal Injury Lawsuits
Plaintiffs who filed cases against pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo for personal injury caused by blood pressure drug Benicar have asked the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate their lawsuits into one multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Ohio.
The motion was filed on December 18th on behalf of plaintiff Annette Johnson, and requests that the panel consolidate the Benicar cases – 15 have been filed federally, while 30 others have been filed with the New Jersey State Court – because the lawsuits claim similar personal injury caused by using Benicar, including severe diarrhea, indigestion, and other gastrointestinal injuries.
“Pretrial centralization allows defendants to work with one consolidated set of discovery requests and filings from plaintiffs’ counsel in federal cases, rather than negotiating with various counsel and courts across the country,” the motion states. “Pretrial centralization will also allow plaintiffs and defendants to concentrate their attention and energy on one federal forum, allowing plaintiffs and defendants to respond more quickly and effectively to opposing counsel and the transferee court, enhancing the overall efficiency of the litigation.”
The Benicar lawsuits also claim that the pharmaceutical company knew about the potential side effects of its blood pressure medication, and chose to put the drug on the market anyway.
The drug can cause a problem in the intestines, similar to Celiac disease, called sprue-like entropy. The main symptom of this condition is severe and chronic diarrhea, which can cause dehydration and malnutrition of left untreated. The FDA recently issued a warning about the dangerous side effects of Benicar, but there has been no drug recall, despite the FDA acknowledging 23 reports of serious sprue-like entropy in users.
A study from the Mayo Clinic followed 22 patients on Benicar and who suffered gastrointestinal problems. In 14 of those cases, side effects were so severe that the patients had to be hospitalized. When all 22 of the patients were taken off Benicar, their symptoms ceased and they regained weight they had lost.
Another, more recent study, conducted by the French Health Insurance Fund through the University of Paris examined 4.5 million patients who were treated with Benicar between 2007 and 2012. Researchers determined that Benicar increased the patient’s potential to develop gastrointestinal problems similar to Celiac disease ten-fold.
Injured Victims have lost their jobs and become permanently disabled due to their chronic conditions. Personal injury lawsuits can help victims recover some of their financial stability, lost due to unemployment, disability, or medical costs.
The Strom Law Firm, L.L.C. is a leader in the consumer protection battle against dangerous prescription drugs and medical devices, from AndroGel to Zoloft. We represent individuals who have been killed or injured by dangerous or defective pharmaceuticals. If you or a family member have been injured or killed after using a dangerous drugs or medical products such as Benicar or supplements, contact our dangerous drug lawyers as soon as possible so that we can begin taking steps to preserve evidence and your claim immediately. We offer free consultations to discuss the facts of your case. 803.252.4800
