Records Show Boehringer Tried to Suppress Pradaxa Safety Research

According to a recent article in The New York Times, the manufacturers of Pradaxa have attempted to suppress a new scientific paper that reveals potential dangers linked to the drug.

Chief Justice David R. Herdon of the U.S. District Court in East St. Louis has ordered numerous internal documents from Boehringer Ingelheim to be released as part of the ongoing litigation against the German drug company over their blood thinning drug Pradaxa. These documents included internal communications like emails and memos.

The released documents suggest a great unease within the company regarding the safety of Pradaxa. Per The New York Times article, the new study may undermine one of Pradaxa’s key selling points.

Pradaxa is an anticoagulant or blood thinner, a type of drug that impairs blood’s ability to clot. This can prevent stroke in certain high-risk patients, but also exposes patients to the risk of death from uncontrolled bleeding. In patients on blood thinners, very minor internal or even external injuries can lead to major bleeding events. The current standard treatment, Warfarin, addresses these risks by encouraging regular monitoring the patient, careful attention to diet and drugs, and  having a reversal agent in the event of uncontrolled bleeding. Newer blood thinning medications like Pradaxa sell themselves on the premise that they do not require blood tests.

However, the new study, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, revealed that some patients could benefit from blood testing. Per the study, blood testing revealed that some patients absorbed too little of the drug to be effective, while others responded more strongly, risking uncontrolled Pradaxa bleeding. The paper’s author indicated that testing could help adjust the dosage for such patients, but would damage Paradaxa’s marketing.

The internal documents revealed that individuals within the marketing arm of Boehringer Ingelheim did not want this information made public. Others questioned if the new revelations would leave them open to legal action, or damage their position in existing litigation. Still others pondered how to “tailor the message” for the public.

This revelation comes as Boehringer Ingelheim is facing legal action in the form of multidistrict litigation or MDL. MDL is a type of group lawsuit, similar to a class action lawsuit, where a group of people allege that they have suffered similar harm from the same individual or company. In this MDL, it has been alleged the Boehringer Ingelheim has aggressively marketed Pradaxa despite the risk of uncontrollable bleeds and other serious complications.

The Pradaxa MDL is In Re: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2385, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Illinois.

If you or someone you care about has suffered from uncontrollable bleeding after using Pradaxa, you have almost certainly been through a trying ordeal. But you need to remember that regardless of the challenges you are facing, you still have rights, and there are steps that you can take to regain a measure of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Here, you can enter information about your situation for a legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation.