The widow of a Georgia man who died in May 2014 filed a wrongful death lawsuit against drug giant Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, alleging that its popular blood thinner Pradaxa is dangerous and puts patients at significant risks of irreversible bleeds.

The widow filed the lawsuit on behalf of her deceased husband, Bobby Lee C., alleging the drug company failed to provide adequate warnings about the safety risks associated with the use of Pradaxa.

According to the Pradaxa bleeding lawsuit, Bobby Lee began taking Pradaxa in January 2013 upon direction of his physician to treat his non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The lawsuit alleges that after taking Pradaxa, he suffered an uncontrolled bleeding event on May 19, 2014 which led to his death three days later at age 86.

The Pradaxa lawsuit further accuses the drug company of failing to properly warn emergency room doctors, surgeons and other medical professionals about the drug’s lack of an antidote, leaving them without an effective way to treat and stabilize Pradaxa users who experience uncontrollable or excessive bleeding.

Pradaxa Bleeding Risks

Because they work to inhibit the body’s ability to form clots, all anticoagulants pose a risk of serious, and even fatal, bleeds. Many Pradaxa lawsuits are alleging, however, that the drug puts patients at an increased risk for serious and irreversible bleeds because the drug, unlike others available on the market, has no antidote to reverse its anti-clotting effects.

When a patient on Coumadin (warfarin) or another blood thinner begins to bleed, the doctor can administer a dose of Vitamin K to reverse the anti-clotting effects of the drug and stop the patient from bleeding. Vitamin K and other standard treatment options do not work for Pradaxa users who begin to bleed excessively.

The only option for these users is emergency dialysis, a treatment doctors say is not practical for patients who are experiencing life-threatening bleeding.

Pradaxa internal bleeding can develop after a patient falls or suffers another type of minor trauma, and can also occur spontaneously. For those taking Pradaxa, even minor trauma can lead to serious and even life-threatening bleeding.

Elderly Pradaxa patients may be particularly at risk for uncontrollable bleeding, as they have fragile blood vessels and minimal fat under their skin to ease the impact of a fall, and more likely to have problems with balance.

The Pradaxa Lawsuit is Case No. 4:15-cv-00068-CDL, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division.