An Ohio widow recently filed a Pradaxa lawsuit against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals over her husband’s wrongful death.

The Pradaxa lawsuit alleges that her husband died due to internal bleeding from Pradaxa usage.

Plaintiff Kathy F. filed this wrongful death Pradaxa lawsuit after her husband David died of internal bleeding complications.

Her Pradaxa lawsuit alleges that these complications were directly caused by his use of the popular blood thinner Pradaxa, manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

According to the Pradaxa lawsuit, David began taking Pradaxa in 2010 at the direction of his doctor to treat atrial fibrillation.

On February 14, 2014, David was hospitalized due to persistent and  uncontrollable internal bleeding. Because of this, he underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) surgery on February 21, 2014 to try to fix the damage.

However, during the procedure, he suffered from a brain injury and was hospitalized until he died on June 30, 2014.

According to the Pradaxa lawsuit filed on his behalf after David’s alleged wrongful death, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals either knew or should have known that Pradaxa was linked with serious internal bleeding problems, yet failed to adequately warn about these risks.

The Pradaxa lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including failure to warn, defective design, negligence, fraud and intentional misrepresentation, and wrongful death.

Pradaxa Background

Pradaxa (generic name dabigatran) is a popular anticoagulant in use across the country, but has been linked to dangerous or even life-threatening internal bleeding complications.

Pradaxa was introduced to the market in 2010 as a replacement for the traditional blood thinner warfarin. Millions have switched to Pradaxa in just a few years.

Internal bleeding side effects are common among blood thinning medications. However, the risk of severe internal bleeding with Pradaxa may be more dangerous than it is with other blood thinners.

Pradaxa Internal Bleeding

It is not uncommon for blood thinning drugs to have internal bleeding side effects. This is because blood thinners are generally used to prevent blood clotting. In most cases, blood clots are dangerous and can cause serious problems if they move to the heart or lungs, which is why many take blood thinners in the first place.

However, blood clots can save lives in certain extreme circumstances, and patients on blood thinners are unable to form these blood clots.

Fortunately, many blood thinners have antidotes that reverse the blood thinning effects of these drugs, allowing blood to clot and stop a patient from bleeding too excessively after an accident or during an emergency surgery.

However, some anticoagulants do not have a reversal drug, meaning that there is no antidote available to reverse the drug’s blood thinning effects. This can lead to fatalities that could otherwise have been avoided. This was the case for Pradaxa for its first five years on the market.

Filing a Pradaxa Lawsuit

This Pradaxa lawsuit and others like it, now numbering in the thousands, allege that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals had a duty to warn users of the unusual risks linked with their drug.

A growing number of Pradaxa users are filing complaints and lawsuits over internal bleeding complications. In the last year alone, thousands of individual plaintiffs have filed such lawsuits.

Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of internal bleeding side effects or bring   a loved one back to life, but it can help to compensate for financial expenses incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

If you or someone you love has taken Pradaxa and experienced internal bleeding side effects, you may be able to file a Pradaxa lawsuit.

The Pradaxa Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-01673, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of the Northern District of Ohio.