$300 Million Settlement for Benicar Blood-Pressure Drug Posted on August 10, 2017 by Larry Bodine Daiichi Sankyo Company announced a $300 million settlement related to its blood pressure drug Benicar. Despite this, the company admitted no liability for any wrongdoing. Patients who have been injured by Benicar can take part in the $300 million settlement if they have a retainer in place with a qualified Benicar attorney by August 23, 2017. See our earlier report Picking 6 Winners in Mass Torts Litigation. A total of 1,942 lawsuits have been filed in MDL 2606, IN RE: Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation, before US District Judge Robert B. Kugler in New Jersey as of July 15. Benicar, Benicar HCT, Azor, and Tribenzor are angiotensin II receptor blockers that lower blood pressure associated with hypertension. It is also linked to severe gastrointestinal injuries, including: Sprue-like enteropathy, which has symptoms similar to those of celiac disease. Lymphocytic colitis, microscopic colitis, and collagenous colitis. Patients may suffer from chronic diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, kidney failure, and significant weight loss. Starting in January 2014, plaintiffs began filing Benicar-related injury lawsuits, and in March 2015, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation created the Benicar MDL. On August 1, 2017, Judge Kugler approved the $300 million settlement. Patients who experienced Benicar-related side effects can still take part in the settlement, but only if they are represented by a Benicar attorney by the August 23, 2017, deadline. According to the master settlement agreement, the fund will start to be paid out when 95 percent of all eligible litigants and claimants opt into the settlement under various conditions. Once the thresholds are met, claimants who meet specified criteria will receive compensation from the settlement fund.
