Pradaxa MDL Created to Handle Growing Litigation Over Bleeding Injuries

By Sarah Mirando | August 16, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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By Sarah Pierce

Good news for Pradaxa bleeding victims hoping to hold drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim responsible for their injuries — on August 8, 2012, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) issued an order consolidating all pending and future Pradaxa lawsuits into one MDL in the Southern District of Illinois under the supervision of Judge David R. Herndon. The new Pradaxa lawsuit MDL will streamline the litigation process, making it easier for Pradaxa bleeding victims to bring a lawsuit against Boehringer and hopefully secure compensation through a Pradaxa lawsuit settlement.

The Pradaxa MDL, entitled In Re: Pradaxa Product Liability Litigation, currently consists of 21 lawsuits pending in 11 federal jurisdictions throughout the U.S. Pradaxa lawyers representing Plaintiffs in these lawsuits petitioned the JPML to consolidate the cases to make it easier for Pradaxa bleeding victims to sue Boehringer. The JPML agreed, stating the Pradaxa bleeding lawsuits involve common issues and questions of fact, and that centralizing the cases in the Pradaxa MDL will serve the convenience of all parties. The new Pradaxa MDL will make it easier for individual Plaintiffs to bring a lawsuit because it will eliminate duplicate discovery, prevent inconsistent pretrial rulings and conserve the resources of the parties and the court system. Judge Herndon was selected by the JPML to preside of the Pradaxa lawsuit MDL based on his vast experience as an MDL judge. Judge Herndon currently presides over one of the largest pharmaceutical products liability actions in the United States: the Yasmin/Yaz MDL.

Allegations in the Pradaxa Lawsuit MDL

At least 21 Pradaxa bleeding lawsuits are in the new MDL, and Pradaxa attorneys expect hundreds more to be filed. All of these lawsuits allege common claims against Boehringer, including:

* Pradaxa caused uncontrollable and excessive bleeding;

* Boehringer failed to warn the medical community and consumers that there is no reversal agent to stop excessive Pradaxa bleeding should it occur;

* The lack of a Pradaxa reversal agent caused life-threatening conditions, permanent disability and deaths;

* Pradaxa advertisements exaggerated the effectiveness of the drug with respect to preventing stroke and blood clots;

* Pradaxa was not properly researched before being approved;

* Boehringer failed to adequately warn consumers about the serious complications of the drug, including severe bleeding.

Pradaxa has been linked to hundreds of deaths and caused more deaths than any other medication in 2011, according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. In addition to dozens of Pradaxa injury lawsuits, numerous Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuits have been filed by family members of deceased Pradaxa users.

Pradaxa MDL v. Pradaxa Class Action Lawsuit

A multidistrict litigation (MDL) is similar to a class action lawsuit in many ways but has a few key differences. An MDL and class action lawsuit both consist of multiple parties that have the same dispute against the same defendants, and bring their claims before one judge. However, a class action lawsuit consolidates all the causes of action into one case, resulting in a single trial and a single class action lawsuit settlement that is equally shared among Class Members.

An MDL, on the other hand, allows each Plaintiff to retain their individual lawsuit and attorney, as well as an individual award based on evidence presented at an individual trial. Oftentimes, the award in an MDL lawsuit settlement is far greater than a class action lawsuit settlement. An MDL is designed to speed up the handling of complex cases such as pharmaceutical liability lawsuits, which often involve millions of documents used as evidence. The MDL allows all documents and evidence to be collected once and used by any of the Plaintiffs in the MDL as needed to prove their case.

So how do you know if you should file an individual Pradaxa injury lawsuit and join the MDL or file/join a Pradaxa class action lawsuit? That all depends on your individual circumstances. An experienced Pradaxa compensation specialist can listen to your case and determine the best course of action for seeking compensation.

If you would like more information about how to file a Pradaxa lawsuit, join the Pradaxa MDL or how to file a Pradaxa class action lawsuit, go to the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Pradaxa attorneys skilled at obtaining compensation for Pradaxa victims can provide a free, no-obligation consultation about your legal options.

Updated August 16th, 2012

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