Despite being on the market for only seven years, the new generation oral anticoagulant drug Pradaxa has been riddled with controversy for thousands of patients who have reported suffering from severe injuries after using the blood thinning drug.

Many injured patients have gone on to file a Pradaxa injury lawsuit to recover damages after suffering severe injuries associated with the ingestion of the drug.

Pradaxa Complications

Originally designed as a safe and effective alternative to warfarin, which was the industry standard for blood thinners for more than 60 years, Pradaxa was designed to have improvements over the older drug. While warfarin was very effective, it did have a number of drawbacks that made administration difficult. Patients were required to undergo extensive monitoring and needed to follow a specific diet with the drug.

Patients who took Pradaxa did not have these same limitations. The dosing was more standardized and frequent blood monitoring was not required. Additionally, no dietary restrictions were imposed on patients.

However, for the first five years on the market, Pradaxa had a serious drawback to its use that many physicians and patients were not aware of. Unlike warfarin, Pradaxa did not have an antidote or reversal agent to stop excessive bleeding. With warfarin, intravenous vitamin K or fresh frozen plasma could be administered to patients to restore the body‘s natural anti-coagulant mechanisms.

With Pradaxa, upon its release into the market, no such reversal agent existed, and many patients had severe injuries due to excessive internal bleeding. The most common types of bleeding events associated with Pradaxa use included brain hemorrhage and gastrointestinal bleeding.

It was not until 2015 that a reversal agent was approved to work with Pradaxa. However, over the five years that Pradaxa had no reversal agent, thousands of patients were injured and many went on to file lawsuits against the manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim.

Pradaxa Lawsuits

Thousands of lawsuits were filed against the product manufacturer in the first few years after Pradaxa was released onto the market. Each Pradaxa injury lawsuit stated that there was a manufacturing defect, design defect or advertising defect with the product, or any combination of all three.

The manufacturer agreed to a settlement in 2014 to resolve claims raised in more than 4,000 Pradaxa lawsuits that were pending in federal and state courts at the time. The settlement was in the amount of $650 million.

Boehringer Ingelheim did not admit any wrong doing in the settlement, but said it agreed to settle in order to avoid an uncertain future with litigation and the associated costs. The average single pay out for individuals who filed a Pradaxa injury lawsuit was approximately $162,500.

Are You Eligible to File a Pradaxa Injury Lawsuit?

If you experienced severe bleeding and other injuries after having taken Pradaxa, you may be eligible to file a Pradaxa injury lawsuit. A lawyer experienced in handling Pradaxa injury lawsuit cases can provide you with the free case review and consultation to discuss your eligibility and to answer any questions you may have about pursuing legal action.