According to a new review of Pradaxa (Dabigatran), the new generation blood thinner and warfarin may be equally effective in preventing strokes, but there may be a greater Pradaxa bleeding risk.

Pradaxa (Dabigatran) and warfarin are both used to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but this new study shows that their side effects differ.

The study, known as the RE-LY trial, indicated that doses of Dabigatran came along with significantly lower intracranial Pradaxa bleeding risk than warfarin. However, the Pradaxa gastrointestinal bleeding risk was found to be significantly greater than for warfarin patients.

According to the RE-LY study, the increased gastrointestinal Pradaxa bleeding risk held true for one particular population: the elderly, which in the study were defined as those 75 years old or older. However, the study claims that the Pradaxa bleeding risk was not significantly greater in other populations.

The study looked at information from almost 350,000 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, who were taking either Pradaxa or warfarin to prevent their risk of stroke.

The new review should not change clinical practice, according to Dr. Robert J. Romanelli from Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute. “If anything, this study revealed areas for future research.”

Pradaxa Background

Pradaxa (Dabigatran) was first brought into the drug market by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals in 2010. Pradaxa was created to be a replacement for the traditional blood thinner, warfarin.

Pradaxa was approved as a blood thinner, but its allegedly dangerous bleeding side effects have caused the company to be targeted in thousands of Pradaxa lawsuits in the last year alone.

While blood thinners are generally thought of to be a life-saving treatment, the recent rush of Pradaxa lawsuits suggests that the risk might be more than patients originally thought. These Pradaxa bleeding risks have allegedly affected a great number of people, since in just a few years after its approval and introduction to the market, millions of U.S. patients have switched to Pradaxa.

Pradaxa Bleeding Risk

Uncontrollable bleeding is arguably one of the most serious Pradaxa side effects, so it is important to understand what causes brain or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Blood thinners like Pradaxa, also known as anticoagulants, often cause excessive or unusual bruising or bleeding. This is due to the body being unable to properly form blood clots while the blood is thinner.

Recovery from internal bleeding in the brain is a difficult process, and may not be successful for all patients. These bleeding side effects can, in some cases, lead to fatalities.

Usually, when a person is suffering from internal bleeding, their body attempts to combat the effects by forming blood clots to slow the bleeding and allow for medical treatment. However, blood thinners such as Pradaxa can prevent these essential blood clots from forming, making it less likely for medical treatment to arrive in time.

Warfarin, the tradition blood thinner staple, has a major advantage that Pradaxa does not: the bleeding side effects of warfarin can be counteracted. Warfarin has an antidote that a patient can be given to allow the blood to return to normal and clot, aiding in emergency medical treatment.

While there is a Pradaxa antidote in the works, there are currently no approved measures like the warfarin antidote to treat Pradaxa internal bleeding in the brain and other side effects. Therefore, such bleeding complications are reportedly much more dangerous and extreme for Pradaxa users.

Pradaxa Lawsuits

Pradaxa lawsuits allege that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals failed to adequately warn both the public and the medical community about their drug’s life-threatening bleeding side effects.

If you or someone you know has taken Pradaxa and has subsequently experienced uncontrollable gastrointestinal bleeding or any other Pradaxa bleeding side effects, you may have cause for filing a Pradaxa lawsuit.