Pradaxa, a popular blood thinner medication, has been linked with life-threatening side effects including gastrointestinal bleeding.

Pradaxa Background

Pradaxa (generic name dabigatran) is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a blood thinning drug in 2010.

Pradaxa and other blood thinner are used to treat atrial fibrillation by preventing dangerous blood clotting.

Since Pradaxa was added to the market, it has steadily increased in popularity, taking the place of the traditional blood thinner, warfarin. Thousands of U.S. patients who take blood thinning drugs have switched to Pradaxa in just a few short years.

However, despite its popularity, Pradaxa has also begun to face an increasing number of lawsuits for serious side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeding. The thousands of people who take Pradaxa may be at risk of serious internal bleeding side effects.

Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Side Effects

Some Pradaxa side effects include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Heart attacks
• Liver failure
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Death

Excessive gastrointestinal bleeding is the most common of these side effects. GI bleeds can, in some cases, lead to severe complications or even death.

It is fairly normal for blood thinning drugs like Pradaxa to cause excessive bruising or bleeding. However, in some extreme scenarios, this minor side effect can become dangerous or even fatal.

When a patient is taking a blood thinner, blood clots do not form properly. This can present a huge problem if a patient is in a serious accident or needs emergency surgery. The patient’s body will be unable to create life-saving blood clots in these situations, and will instead continue to bleed excessively and may die.

Blood thinners, old and new, are both linked with these internal bleeding side effects. However, the long-used drug, warfarin, has an effective antidote available to counteract the blood thinning side effects of warfarin in emergency situations like an accident or emergency surgery.

For six years Pradaxa did not have an antidote to counteract its blood thinning effects. In October 2015, the maker of Pradaxa announced the development of a Pradaxa antidote, Praxbind.

Due to the immediate concern of Pradaxa internal bleeding, the FDA has fast-tracked the approval process for Praxbind.

However, for many Pradaxa users who suffered or died as a result of a serious GI bleed, this antidote came too late.

Pradaxa Lawsuits

Many patients who have suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding or other serious Pradaxa side effects have responded by filing lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals.

These lawsuits claim that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals failed to adequately warn the public and the medical community that Pradaxa came with such severe or even life-threatening bleeding complications.

The number of Pradaxa lawsuits has grown steadily over the years, and now number in the thousands. These lawsuits allege that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals either knew or should have known about the gastrointestinal bleeding complications tied to their drug, yet failed to give proper warning on the drug’s labeling.