Man Files Pradaxa Wrongful Death Lawsuit On Father’s Behalf

Robert Hager has filed a Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit on the behalf of his deceased father, Werner Hager, against drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim, alleging that their drug, Pradaxa, caused his father’s death.

The elder Hager was prescribed Pradaxa in July 2011. In January 2012, he was rushed into the emergency room complaining of weakness and lethargy. After several weeks of intensive medical care, he was discharged from the hospital, but was quickly readmitted due to continuing complications. During his medical care, he was repeatedly subjected to transfusions of concentrated red blood cells and other procedures. He ultimately died in August 2012.

Pradaxa is an anticoagulant, a drug that thins the blood in order to make a person less likely to suffer from life-threatening blood clots. Blood clots can form in the blood and block critical blood vessels, like those supplying the brain or heart, which means that anticoagulants can be lifesaving drugs. However, all anticoagulants carry the risk of uncontrollable bleeding. When blood isn’t able to clot, a person can experience life-threatening bleeding from a very minor injury. This may have been what happened to Werner Hager.

According to Robert Hager’s Pradaxa lawsuit, Boehringer Ingelheim was aware of the serious risks associated with the drug. Allegedly, older anticoagulants are safer than Pradaxa, since reversal agents exist to help stop uncontrollable bleeding. This means that with older anticoagulants, like Warfarin, a person can be given an “antidote” if they begin to experience uncontrolled bleeding. In the case of Warfarin, a very high dose of vitamin K can reverse the drug’s effects, allowing patients to clot if they need to stop bleeding. Pharmaceutical companies are actively searching for reversal agents for newer-generation drugs like Pradaxa, but none have been found as of yet. Even though Pradaxa has no such agent, its makers promoted its use. Pradaxa lawsuits like Hager’s allege that Pradaxa is dangerous and over promoted despite safer, older alternatives.

Hager’s Pradaxa lawsuit has joined others in a sort of group lawsuit called a multidistrict litigation or MDL. MDLs are similar to the more familiar class action lawsuit, in that both allow a group of people to seek out civil redress against the same defendant over similar alleged harm. The main difference is that class action lawsuits start out as group lawsuits, while MDLs start out as individual lawsuits, like Hager’s, which are later coordinated into a single legal action.

The Pradaxa lawsuit is Robert R. Hager, as representative of the estate of Werner Hager v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. The Pradaxa MDL is 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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