Pradaxa, an extremely popular blood thinner, has in the last few years become associated with major bleeding complications.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Pradaxa, has subsequently faced thousands of Pradaxa lawsuits, with numbers only expected to rise.

Pradaxa (dabigatran) was initially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 as a replacement for warfarin. Warfarin was the traditional medication for the treatment of atrial fibrillation, a serious condition that can increase the risk of stroke. Patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation are up to five times more likely to suffer a stroke than those without the condition.

In response to the drug’s association with bleeding complications, thousands of Pradaxa lawsuits have recently been filed. These Pradaxa lawsuits allege that the blood thinner’s manufacturer failed to adequately warn the public, as well as the medical community as a whole, about the potential dangerous or life-threatening bleeding complications known to be linked with their drug.

Pradaxa lawsuits allege that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals either knew or should have known about Pradaxa’s dangers, and had a responsibility to warn consumers to prevent potential injuries.

Pradaxa bleeding complications threaten millions of people, considering the popularity and widespread usage of the drug. After less than two years on the market, sales of Pradaxa had already skyrocketed, and 3.7 million U.S. patients had chosen to use the drug.

An additional risk comes with Pradaxa that is not true of generic warfarin – and to many is a huge selling point– Pradaxa does not require frequent blood monitoring.

However, because of the allegations that Pradaxa can cause serious bleeding complications, frequent blood monitoring may be necessary to prevent these side effects from developing. The fact that Pradaxa does not officially require monitoring reportedly puts its users at even greater risk.

Pradaxa Bleeding Side Effects

Any anticoagulant (blood thinner) can cause excessive bruising and bleeding. This can create problems when internal bleeding from an accident or disease gets out of hand.

In these cases, the body usually combats bleeding by forming a clot to stem the bleeding until medical help is reached. If a patient is taking Pradaxa or a similar blood thinner, these life-saving blood clots cannot effectively form.

Excessive bleeding is a normal response to anticoagulants, and for most users, this is a non-issue. However, unlike warfarin, Pradaxa does not have an antidote.

Users who experience excessive bleeding while taking warfarin can be helped using its antidote to counteract the problems, reducing bleeding to normal. Currently, Pradaxa has no similar countermeasures, and so Pradaxa bleeding complications can become extreme and are much more difficult to treat.

Some Pradaxa users have suffered from these serious side effects. The most severe of these side effects includes heart attacks, liver failure, uncontrollable bleeding, and even death.

The most common of these complications is excessive bleeding, which in turn can lead to brain hemorrhaging or death.

Over 500 of the 3,781 reported Pradaxa bleeding complications in 2011 were fatal.

Pradaxa Lawsuits

Despite these allegations and these studies, Pradaxa’s manufacturer still does not require the drug to be monitored during use. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals has stated since this information was released that Pradaxa still offers more benefits than risks. Many Pradaxa users disagree, and have since decided to file Pradaxa lawsuits.

If you or someone you know has taken Pradaxa and has subsequently experienced any of the above symptoms, such as excessive bleeding or brain hemorrhaging, due to Pradaxa, you may have cause for filing a Pradaxa  lawsuit.