The blood-thinning drug Pradaxa received FDA approval in 2010 and has quickly become front and center in hundreds, if not thousands, of products liability lawsuits.

Plaintiffs allege the blood thinner is dangerous and that its manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim was negligent in marketing and selling the drug.

A Pradaxa injury lawyer can help in representing the best interests of victims of Pradaxa side effects who seek to hold the drug maker accountable for its actions and to secure compensation for their pain and suffering incurred as a result of taking the popular blood thinner.

Pradaxa and Excessive Bleeding

Blood thinners like Pradaxa are drugs that help prevent blood clots. They are given to people who are at a high risk of developing blood clots in order to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke caused by a blood clot.

Unfortunately, one of the risks associated with blood thinners like Pradaxa is the risk of uncontrollable bleeding. Some of the more serious Pradaxa bleeding side effects include:

• Death from a bleeding event
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Cerebral hemorrhage
• Excessive menstrual bleeding
• Excessive nose bleeds
• Unexplained bruising
• GI discomfort
• blood in stool and/or urine
• An accident that led to hospitalization for uncontrollable bleeding

Pradaxa and the FDA

The FDA approved Pradaxa in 2010 to prevent stroke and systemic blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation, as well as for the treatment and prevention of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It has been prescribed to over 850,000 patients in the United States.

However, Pradaxa has been linked to more than 1,000 deaths, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, which tracks drug safety.

In 2011, Pradaxa was one of the most frequently mentioned drugs in the FDA’s adverse event report database. In 2014 the FDA issued a Drug Safety Communication regarding Pradaxa. It stated that the risk for gastrointestinal bleeding was higher with Pradaxa as compared to warfarin.

In May 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to pay $650 million to settle all of its 4,000 lawsuits. Just eighteen months prior, in October 2012, the company paid $95 million to the U.S. government to settle a whistleblower case over its off-label marketing of several drugs.

But it wasn’t until October 2015 that the FDA fast-tracked approval of a Pradaxa bleeding antidote called Praxbind (idarucizumab), which has been shown to reverse the anticoagulation effects of Pradaxa – which could save a patient’s life during the kind of irreversible bleeding that proved fatal to so many patients.

That means that for nearly a year and a half, Pradaxa patients did not recover any damages from the drug maker but still had no antidote for Pradaxa bleeding events.

How a Pradaxa Injury Lawyer Can Help

If you experienced severe internal bleeding or hemorrhaging linked with taking Pradaxa, contact an experienced Pradaxa injury lawyer today.

A Pradaxa injury lawyer can advise you on your legal rights and guide you through the legal process if you choose to pursue compensation for your Pradaxa injuries through a lawsuit against Boehringer Ingelheim.

An experienced Pradaxa injury lawyer can help represent you and ensure you explore all the legal options available to achieve justice for the pain and suffering you have endured.

It is important to act quickly when filing a Pradaxa lawsuit, as certain laws limit the amount of time sufferers of Pradaxa side effects have in which to report a claim and pursue their legal rights.