Pradaxa is one of several medications that belongs to a group of newer-generation anticoagulants recently introduced to the U.S. pharmaceutical market.

For more than 50 years, a single anticoagulant, warfarin (Coumadin) was the primary anticoagulant drug used in the United States.

Doctors and patients alike welcomed these new anticoagulants, as the simple-to-use medications appeared to address issues that many doctors and patients were frustrated with.

The New Generation of Oral Anticoagulants

Pradaxa
(dagibatran etexilate) was the first of the three new-generation anticoagulants to hit the market in October 2010 after earning FDA approval.

Manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Pradaxa is primarily used to reduce clotting risks in patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat affecting blood flow.

Xarelto and Eliquis were FDA approved shortly after Pradaxa. The new trio of anticoagulants have been viewed as easier to administer since they require less frequent monitoring and there are no dietary restrictions as there were with warfarin.

The Dark Side of New Generation Anticoagulants

Anticoagulant drugs succeed in preventing blood clots by blocking clotting proteins in the blood to inhibit clotting. While this is necessary for clot prevention, there are times when the blood needs to be able to clot to stop a person from bleeding excessively.

Warfarin, the older anticoagulant, had this same risk just as Pradaxa and the new generation drugs do. However, with warfarin, there was an antidote to reverse excess bleeding and allow the body to begin developing clots again when necessary to stop a bleed.

If patients who were taking warfarin started bleeding excessively, they were given fresh frozen plasma and intravenous vitamin K to reverse the effects of warfarin and to restore the body’s natural clotting mechanism. This antidote allowed the body to quickly recover from warfarin in a time of need to avoid bleeding complications.

With Pradaxa, however, no antidote or reversal agent currently exists. This has allegedly led to serious Pradaxa side effects involving bleeding complications, and even death.

Instead of being able to act quickly to reverse a bleed with an antidote, hospital physicians must do their best to try and control the bleed as the medication wears off over time.

Pradaxa Bleeding Lawsuit Information

Because of the lack of a Pradaxa antidote, the past several years have been difficult for some Pradaxa users who have used the medication and have experienced severe bleeding side effects.

These patients have claimed that they felt the drug manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim, did not do enough to warn physicians and consumers about the severity of side effects and the related lack of an antidote to the medication.

There have been so many Pradaxa bleeding complications mentioned in lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim that the lawsuits have been combined into a multidistrict litigation.

In multidistrict litigation, lawsuits are combined under one court and one judge in order to streamline the process when many similar claims are made against a defendant.

In May 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to pay $650 million to resolve about 4,000 claims concerning Pradaxa. This averaged about $150,000 per case and resolved all pending cases that were active at the time.

According to the most recent MDL report on November 16, 2015, there are still 111 cases active in the MDL as plaintiffs await decisions from the court as well as other cases that have been filed individually apart from the MDL.

If you or a loved one has experienced severe bleeding after taking Pradaxa, you may have a legal claim. A Pradaxa lawyer can provide a free case review and can help you decide if filing a Pradaxa lawsuit is right for you.