According to a growing number of Pradaxa patients, bleeding side effects of Pradaxa are simply too great a risk when compared with other drugs.

Pradaxa is a widely used blood thinner. Its manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, is a facing a slew of product liability lawsuits filed over serious bleeding side effects of Pradaxa.

Patients allege that the pharmaceutical giant failed to warn the public as well as the medical community about the risk of bleeding side effects of Pradaxa, especially when compared with the risk of other, similar drugs.

So far, thousands of these Pradaxa lawsuits have been filed against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Plaintiffs allege that the company either knew or should have known about Pradaxa’s dangers, including the bleeding side effects of Pradaxa, and had a responsibility to warn consumers to prevent potential injuries.

Background of Pradaxa

Pradaxa (also known by its generic name, dabigatran) is a widely used anticoagulant, a kind of drug that is used primarily to prevent blood clotting. Pradaxa is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010.

For decades, warfarin (brand name Coumadin) has been the staple blood thinning drug. In recent years, new drugs have entered the market to replace warfarin.

Pradaxa is one of these new anticoagulants. After less than two years on the market, sales of Pradaxa had already skyrocketed, with 3.7 million U.S. patients choosing or switching to Pradaxa.

Given the widespread usage of the drug, any complications of Pradaxa may threaten millions. Of course, any medication carries with it a risk of certain side effects, but anticoagulant problems may be more dangerous than most.

Bleeding Side Effects of Pradaxa

Any anticoagulant or blood thinner, including Pradaxa, can cause excessive bruising and bleeding due to the drug’s very nature. If a person is bleeding from a surgery, accident, or disease, taking a blood thinner means that their body is unable to form blood clots necessary to stem the bleeding.

This is a risk that anticoagulant users take, and since most anticoagulants have reversal agents or antidotes to combat these bleeding problems, it is not usually so great an issue it outweighs the risk of not taking the drug.

For the first several years Pradaxa was on the market, there was no available antidote that would restore blood clotting. That lack of an antidote raised the stakes for Pradaxa patients who suffered from excessive bleeding, who faced the risk of uncontrollable bleeding.

Some Pradaxa users have suffered from these serious side effects. Excessive bleeding side effects of Pradaxa can lead to brain hemorrhaging or death. Indeed, 3,781 bleeding side effects of Pradaxa were reported in 2011, and 500 of these incidents were ultimately fatal.

Some critics also say the fact that Pradaxa does not officially require regular blood monitoring puts its users at even greater risk.

Filing a Lawsuit over Bleeding Side Effects of Pradaxa

If you or someone you know has taken Pradaxa and has subsequently suffered from bleeding side effects of Pradaxa, you may be able to file a Pradaxa lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by bleeding side effects of Pradaxa, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses and lost wages.