Benicar Sprue-Like Enteropathy and Celiac Diseases Often Transposed

Washington, DCIt’s somewhat ironic that drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Inc. attempted earlier this month to have a collection of lawsuits dismissed from centralized litigation over allegedly tenuous associations between Benicar side effects and gastrointestinal difficulty according to plaintiff’s claims.

That’s because doctors often misdiagnose the sprue-like enteropathy associated with Benicar defective products given similarities to celiac disease. Patients taking Benicar to help control their high blood pressure are often mistaken as having symptoms associated with celiac disease and, thus, continue to take Benicar - further exacerbating their symptoms.

In the end, a federal judge in New Jersey on April 18 dismissed Daiichi Sankyo’s motion based on the judge’s finding that he could not fault patients who might have misinterpreted their symptoms.

If one, therefore, were to fault the patient for misinterpretation and errors of association, should one also fault the caregiver or health care professional having made a similar error with regard to sprue-like enteropathy and celiac disease?

Benicar (olmesartan) has emerged as a drug of choice to rein in high blood pressure considered particularly problematic. And while effective in the lowering of problem hypertension, the Benicar side effects can be serious - notably, sprue-like enteropathy, a gastrointestinal condition characterized by often uncontrollable diarrhea, Benicar Illness and Weight Loss, and hospitalization with severe dehydration. Those not hospitalized are often reduced to living their lives within close proximity to the nearest restroom.

It’s no way to live, and Benicar patients posting in chat rooms and elsewhere take no prisoners with regard to their displeasure with Benicar side effects - especially in view of the allegation that many were unaware of the risks associated with taking Benicar. The severe pain, inconvenience and dehydration allegedly associated with Benicar have not only affected their emotional health and stamina, but have left them wondering if olmesartan is worth the serious discomfort, the dehydration and the inconvenience.

Some have openly wondered if it would be better to live with the effects of high blood pressure versus the shackles that are the bastion of severe and chronic diarrhea.

For its part, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in 2013, issued warning label changes for Benicar while continuing to support the drug with a risk profile that maintained a higher weight to the benefits for those patients with serious hypertension issues. At the same time, the federal regulator is continuing to study adverse reactions and continues to work with the manufacturer with regard to post-market studies.

In the meantime, it has been reported that symptoms associated with Benicar side effects, and specifically sprue-like enteropathy, are so close to those of celiac disease that doctors find it somewhat of a challenge to craft a correct diagnosis. A working knowledge of the potential for sprue-like enteropathy associated with Benicar might prompt a physician examining a patient presenting with such symptoms to state their medication history and thus the potential for sprue-like enteropathy.

And yet, reports suggest errors in diagnosis are continuing. Was the judge in New Jersey cognizant of this fact when he found for the plaintiffs and cut them some Benicar defective products slack?