The widely prescribed medications Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor, and Tribenzor have been linked to serious gastrointestinal symptoms. All four drugs are used to treat high blood pressure and are actually made by the same company, Daiichi Sankyo, co-promoted by Forest Pharmaceuticals. Some of the common symptoms we have found reported include severe chronic diarrhea, dehydration, malnutrition, and weight loss. Once people stop taking the drug, they get better. When the drug first came on the market in 2002, it contained no warning of these side effects.
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This is not the first time Daiichi Sankyo has been in serious legal hot water. In January 2015, Daiichi Sankyo had to pay a $39 million dollar settlement to the Department of Justice in a Qui Tam/ Whistleblower case, as well as nearly $6 million dollars to the individual whistleblower. Daiichi Sankyo was accused of illegally bribing doctors to prescribe these same drugs–as well as over-promoting their drugs for uses that were not specifically approved by the FDA, and for violating the Anti-Kickback Statute.
The Anti-Kickback Statute was enacted to encourage doctors to make prescription decisions and referrals based solely upon the best medical interests of the patient, rather than for receiving improper payments and gifts from drug makers. The Anti-Kickback Statute strictly prohibits anyone from paying to induce another to provide referrals for items or services covered by federal healthcare programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
Following the announcement of the DOJ settlement in April 2015, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of thousands of people from around the country who had been injured by taking Benicar. The cases were consolidated in what is commonly called a Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in Federal Court in New Jersey.
The Benicar injury claims cases are pending in front of Judge Robert Kugler and Magistrate Joel Schneider. To date just over a thousand cases have already been filed, and we predict several thousand more to be filed in the next few weeks.
Filing Your Claim Against Daiichi Sankyo
Many people who have taken these drugs and suffered their consequences are unaware that they may be entitled to receive money for their pain and suffering, lost wages, medical expenses, and other related damages.
We are passionate about holding pharmaceutical companies like Daiichi Sankyo accountable when they put their corporate profits ahead of the health and safety of people. If you have taken Benicar, you may be entitled to make a claim and receive money for your injuries. We are pleased to offer a free initial consultation and claim review to anyone who may have suffered from taking Benicar. Call our office today, toll free at 1866-597-4529, or email us at [email protected].
