Under new guidelines established by two heart health associations, one out of every 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure and needs medication. High blood pressure was redefined from 140/90 to 130/80 in November. A recent study reported that under these new guidelines, 46% of adults would be considered as having high blood pressure. 36% would be prescribed to take blood pressure medication. This would mean that some 83 million Americans should be taking some kind of blood pressure medication. For those taking the blood pressure medication known as Benicar, they may be eligible to receive money from a recently agreed settlement. Reuters reports on the agreement.
On Tuesday, Daiichi Sankyo agreed to pay up to $300 million to settle lawsuits from patients claiming that the blood-pressure medication Benicar can cause gastrointestinal illness.
Some 2,300 Americans have filed lawsuits claiming that the Japanese manufacturer of Benicar failed to warn them of the chances of gastrointestinal illness.
If at least 95% of the claimants agree to the settlement and opt-in, it will be finalized. The company said that the settlement fund was capped at $300 million.
On their part, Daiichi Sankyo is not admitting any guilt in the case by settling. They continue to maintain that the litigation is without merit.
The first cases against Daiichi Sankyo were filed beginning in 2014 and eventually consolidated in a multidistrict litigation in a federal court located in New Jersey.
The drugmaker, based in Tokyo, said that the settlement will not affect their bottom line and will be funded by several of the company’s insurance providers.
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