Pradaxa Lawsuit Alleges The Drug Caused Uncontrollable Bleeding

An Alabama woman has filed a lawsuit against Boehringer Ingelheim, alleging that its drug, Pradaxa, caused her to develop life-threatening complications.

Geraldine Reaves began taking Pradaxa in August 2011, and continued using the drug through October of that year. On Oct. 5, 2011, Reaves suffered from a life-threatening bleeding event. Her Pradaxa lawsuit describes this as “severe and permanent.”

Pradaxa is a type of drug called a blood thinner, or anticoagulant. Anticoagulants are a type of drug designed to either break up blood clots or make it harder for blood to clot. This can help decrease a person’s risk of developing stroke or other conditions in which errant blood clots form inside a patient’s body and block the blood supply to critical tissues and organs. However, anticoagulants carry the risk of triggering uncontrollable bleeding. In this situation, a person cannot form blood clots, so even a minor injury can cause a person to bleed to death.

Reaves’s lawsuit alleges that Boehringer Ingelheim was aware — or reasonably should have been aware — of the serious risks associated with Pradaxa. To back this assertion, the lawsuit cites studies dating to 2009 suggesting that an older anticoagulant called Warfarin was safer than Pradaxa. Patients taking Warfarin are currently advised to have regular blood tests to check how well their bodies are dealing with the drug. On top of this, Warfarin has a reversal agent available, which can restore a person’s ability to clot if they begin to experience uncontrolled bleeding. Additionally, Reaves’s Pradaxa lawsuit states that the FDA received almost a thousand Serious Adverse Event Reports between October 2010 and March 2011. Regulatory agencies in several countries have required Boehringer Ingelheim to add warnings to Pradaxa’s labeling and drug information regarding uncontrolled bleeding, including Japan and Canada.

Reaves’ lawsuit has joined others in a multidistrict litigation, or MDL. MDLs are a type of group lawsuit, similar to the more familiar class action lawsuit. Both MDLs and class action lawsuits are designed to allow a group of allegedly-harmed plaintiffs to seek justice against the same defendant. Group lawsuits like MDLs and class action lawsuits are designed to streamline the legal process.

The case is Geraldine Reaves v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., et al., Case No. 3:13-cv-51370-DRH-SCW. It has been added to the Pradaxa MDL, In Re: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2385, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Join a Free Pradaxa Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one were medically diagnosed with internal bleeding problems after using Pradaxa, you may be able to take legal action against the drug’s manufacturer. Joining a Pradaxa class action lawsuit or filing an individual Pradaxa lawsuit may help you recover compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. Obtain a free case evaluation now:

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