Boehringer Ingelheim is facing a new Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit from a grieving woman who alleges the popular anticoagulant medication caused fatal uncontrollable bleeding in her loved one. The woman is filing this Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the deceased, alleging the medication’s treatment mechanism caused the death.

Louisiana plaintiff Shantrice D. is filing this Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Charles N., alleging the company failed to disclose vital drug safety information to the claimants.

According to the Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit, Charles had died of uncontrollable internal bleeding that was allegedly caused by the anticoagulant. Charles had been prescribed Pradaxa in March 2016 to treat his atrial fibrillation. This is a typical treatment purpose, as Pradaxa is typically used to help prevent stroke and other blood clot attacks.

His Pradaxa prescription was meant to help Charles live a longer life, but may have contributed to his death instead. Charles had been hospitalized on Sept. 27, 2016, for uncontrollable internal bleeding and stroke. While Charles survived this uncontrolled bleeding event, he later died from these complications.

Shantrice opted to file the Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit on Charles’ behalf, after discovering other patients may have also suffered internal bleeding complications. In addition, Shantrice alleges Boehringer Ingelheim was either aware of Pradaxa bleeding complications or should have been aware of the possibility.

Overview of Pradaxa Bleeding Complications

Pradaxa was approved by the FDA in 2010, and was the first medication to be accepted for anticoagulant treatment purposes since warfarin in the 1960s. Since Pradaxa’s release, two other new generation anticoagulants, Xarelto and Eliquis, have also joined the market.

Pradaxa was considered a significant breakthrough, as Pradaxa could be prescribed in single doses. In contrast, warfarin patients had to undergo frequent dose adjustments by their physicians. While Pradaxa’s single dose prescription feature made it popular among patients, it lacked a vital safety feature of warfarin’s : a reversal agent.

Until 2015, there was no approved bleeding antidote for Pradaxa and patients were at risk for potentially fatal uncontrollable bleeding injuries. Even with the release of Praxbind in 2015, uncontrollable internal bleeding incidents are still considered a significant risk associated with Pradaxa and other anticoagulants.

In the case of warfarin internal bleeding, patients would merely be given vitamin K to restore their blood’s ability to clot.

Anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism. However, this also prevents the body from recovering from internal bleeding incidents, resulting in emergency room visits. Uncontrollable bleeding can be potentially fatal if not treated properly, and should be listed as a potential side effect if necessary.

Boehringer Ingelheim has faced significant legal backlash from patients alleging negligence and failure to warn. Shantrice is one of these claimants, alleging Charles knew nothing about potentially fatal internal bleeding injury risks and states that he never would have agreed to use Pradaxa if he knew.

This Pradaxa Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-09714-NJB-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.