According to an alarming development in the Pradaxa litigation movement, experts state that the risk of Pradaxa bleeding complications may be higher compared to other new-generation anticoagulants.

As the number for bleeding injury reports for Pradaxa, Xarelto, and Eliquis continue to be filed, drug safety reports suggest that Pradaxa may present a much greater likelihood of bleeding injuries.

Coming from the latest QuarterWatch report from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), which analyzed the Pradaxa bleeding injury reports submitted to the FDA last year, analysts found that Pradaxa bleeding complications were twice as likely to result in death compared to Eliquis or Xarelto.

Xarelto had the largest number of injury reports in the analysis, and despite having the majority of the prescriptions, the number of injury reports for Pradaxa far exceeded Xarelto’s numbers.

Overall, the results showed that Pradaxa had a 14.1 hospital visits per 1,000 serious injury reports, Eliquis had 4.4 per 1,000 injury reports, and Xarelto 6.6 per 1,000 injury reports. Furthermore, experts found that the mortality rate for Pradaxa events at 20.9 percent, which was about double the rate for the other two drugs.

Additionally, the FDA had 3,592 Pradaxa injury reports were submitted in 2014, with 752 death reports. These numbers compare to the 3,331 Xarelto injury reports, with 379 fatality reports; along with 1,014 Eliquis injury reports, with 108 deaths. Experts state that the number of Pradaxa reports far outweighed the other two anticoagulants.

Overview of Pradaxa Bleeding Complications

Experts observe that Xarelto dominated the anticoagulant market in the fourth quarter of 2014, with 1, 758, 016 prescriptions; Eliquis was second in popularity with 609.301 prescriptions.

Pradaxa was easily the least popular anticoagulant, with 560,887 prescriptions, but still outnumbered the other two drugs in life-threatening internal bleeding risks. Overall, the analysts found that the ISMP data showed that despite being more dangerous, Pradaxa was more effective than Xarelto at preventing strokes.

Ultimately, health experts advise that consumers recognize the risk of anticoagulants, especially the new-generation anticoagulants. Each of these drugs were developed to be an alternative treatment method to America’s original anticoagulant, Warfarin. Warfarin was developed many years ago to prevent stroke in high risk patients, and had been the only option until the release of Pradaxa in 2010.

This was a landmark occasion as Pradaxa was the first drug to be approved into the anticoagulant market since Warfarin, which later spurred the release of Xarelto and Eliquis, respectively. Each of the new-generation anticoagulants were advertised to be faster-acting than Warfarin, and were prescribed in a single dose.

Unfortunately, none of the newer anticoagulants came with an approved stopping agent to reverse internal bleeding injuries. It is important to note as the risk of internal bleeding has become more apparent, the popularity of Warfarin still remains strong.

The ISMP study showed that there were more than 80 million Warfarin prescriptions written in the fourth quarter of 2014; Warfarin sales have been at their highest since 2008. Experts believe that even though Xarelto currently dominates the anticoagulant market, Warfarin will remain a strong preference to the patient population.

Despite the severity of these risks, Boehringer Ingelheim and other manufacturing companies had chosen to omit this information from the products’ warning label. Previously, Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to pay $650 million in Pradaxa settlements (about $150,000 per claim). Pradaxa lawsuits continue to be filed by patients who experienced internal bleeding injuries.