The popular blood thinner Pradaxa is used to treat blood clotting, but comes with serious Pradaxa bleeding problems that put patients at risk.

So far, thousands of Pradaxa users have filed a Pradaxa blood thinner lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, alleging that the company failed to warn about the risk of serious Pradaxa bleeding problems.

These lawsuits allege that the blood thinner’s manufacturer failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community about the potential dangerous or life-threatening Pradaxa bleeding problems linked with their drug.

A Pradaxa blood thinner lawsuit typically alleges that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals either knew or should have known about Pradaxa’s dangers, and had a responsibility to warn consumers to prevent potential injuries.

Background of Pradaxa

Pradaxa (also known by its generic name, dabigatran) is a popular anticoagulant manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010.  Pradaxa is one of several recent blood thinners introduced to the market as a replacement for the old staple anticoagulant, warfarin.

Pradaxa bleeding problems may threaten millions of people, considering the widespread usage of the drug. Indeed, after less than two years on the market, 3.7 million U.S. patients had chosen to use Pradaxa. Those numbers have only gone up in the last several years.

Pradaxa Side Effects

Of course, every medication comes with certain mild side effects. Some Pradaxa side effects, however, are anything but mild. Pradaxa users have reportedly experienced heart attacks, liver failure, uncontrollable bleeding and even death.

The most common of these complications is excessive bleeding, which in turn can lead to brain hemorrhaging or death. Over 500 of the 3,781 reported Pradaxa bleeding problems in 2011 were ultimately fatal.

Any anticoagulant can cause excessive bruising and bleeding. Excessive bleeding is a normal response to anticoagulants, since they are used to dispel blood clotting. This can become a problem when internal bleeding from an accident, surgery, or disease gets out of hand.

In these cases, the body usually combats bleeding by forming a clot to stop the bleeding until medical help is reached. If a patient is taking Pradaxa or a similar blood thinner, these life-saving blood clots cannot effectively form.

While any anticoagulant can cause excessive bleeding, many blood thinning drugs have antidotes to counteract these side effects, allowing blood clots to once again form. Warfarin, the traditional anticoagulant, has an antidote. Other anticoagulants do as well. Pradaxa, on the other hand, had no antidote until recently.

Pradaxa does not require the blood monitoring that accompanies warfarin use, reportedly putting its users at even greater risk.

Filing a Pradaxa Blood Thinner Lawsuit

If you or someone you know has taken Pradaxa and has subsequently experienced any of the above symptoms, such as excessive bleeding or brain hemorrhaging, you may be able to file a Pradaxa blood thinner lawsuit.

Filing a Pradaxa blood thinner lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Pradaxa bleeding problems, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses and lost wages.