TopClassActions  |  November 5, 2013

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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Woman Files Pradaxa Lawsuit After Husband’s Death

By Jessica Tyner

 


Pradaxa Stroke LawsuitLouise Muelhaupt filed her Pradaxa lawsuit on September 30, 2013 on behalf of herself and her children after finding herself the executor of her late husband’s estate. Her husband, Joseph Muelhaupt, regularly took Pradaxa, a blood thinner designed to prevent strokes and help with atrial fibrillation (AF). Pradaxa, manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 in two dosages: 75 mg and 150 mg. It’s designed to be taken twice per day, and patients with “severe renal impairment” are allegedly ideal candidates. It was the first anticoagulation medication to be approved in the United States in the last 50 years, but it’s been heavily linked to causing internal bleeding which can be fatal. 

AF is “a type of irregular heart beat,” and according to Louise’s Pradaxa lawsuit, it’s the most common heart condition in the world with 25 percent of adults over the age of 40 suffering from it. People with AF have a “five-fold increased risk of stroke when compared to people without atrial fibrillation.” Strokes, of course, can also be deadly and dangerous, and Joseph thought he was taking preventative steps when going on Pradaxa. However, there are an increasing number of Pradaxa class action lawsuits filed by people who claim there aren’t adequate warnings about the drug’s risks.

The ease of use of Pradaxa might be the major downfall. According to the Pradaxa lawsuit, “(U)nlike warfarin, which is adjusted for individual patient blood levels on an ongoing basis, Pradaxa was approved in the allegedly easy ‘one size fits all’ doses of 150 mg or 75 mg twice a day. This ‘one size fits all’ characteristic of the drug, while simple for physicians to follow, means that a more personalized dose is unavailable.” Patients aren’t closely monitored, says Louise, which means personalized doses aren’t possible. She says the drugmakers “overpromoted the drug while failing to adequately warn of dangerous risks.” More than $60 million was spent on marketing in 2010 alone, and Pradaxa wasn’t even approved until October of that year. Pradaxa saw more than $1 billion in sales in 2011.

According to the Pradaxa lawsuit, “Decedent was unaware of the increased risk for developing life-threatening injuries as compared to warfarin. Had Decedent and/or Decedent’s healthcare provider(s) known of the risks and dangers associated with Pradaxa, as well as the lack of additional benefits, and had Defendants provided adequate warnings that there is no agent to reverse the anticoagulation effects of Pradaxa; Decedent would not have used Pradaxa.”

Louise is suing for failure to warn, design defect, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, breach of warranty, negligence per se, fraudulent concealment, loss of consortium, pain and suffering and punitive damages.

The Pradaxa lawsuit is Louise Muelhaupt, et al. v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, et al., MDL No. 2385, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Did You Suffer from Pradaxa Side Effects?

Many people though Pradaxa was a wonder drug, but if you took it and suffered Pradaxa side effects, you might have a Pradaxa legal claim. Find out more about what you can do at the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation today. After submitting your information, an attorney will contact you if you have a case for a free Pradaxa claim review.

 
 

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