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# Pull Benicar from Market: Public Citizen
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/pull-benicar-from-market-public-citizen/
- Published: 2017-11-15T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T23:02:04.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5140131

Public Citizen is petitioning FDA to withdraw from the market all medications containing the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) olmesartan medoxomil (Daiichi Sankyo’s Azor, Benicar, Benicar HCT, and Tribenzor, with all generics of these drugs). The advocacy group [petition](https://www.citizen.org/sites/default/files/2390.pdf?ref=fdaweb.com) says that olmesartan medoxomil is associated with a risk of sprue-like enteropathy and that multiple other ARBs that do not appear to have the same risk of sprue-like enteropathy have been approved by FDA for treating hypertension.

“In summary,” the petition says, “olmesartan medoxomil has unique serious risks but no unique benefit.”

According to the petition, olmesartan medoxomil is a pro-drug that is metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract and liver to its active form — olmesartan. The first olmesartan product was approved by FDA in 2002 for treating hypertension.