A man from the state of Nebraska has filed a recent Pradaxa hemorrhage lawsuit joining thousands of others against Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, manufacturers of the anticoagulant medication.

Plaintiff Francis K. filed the Pradaxa hemorrhage lawsuit in Nebraska federal court demanding a trial by jury. According to the Pradaxa hemorrhage lawsuit, Francis says that he was first prescribed and began taking Pradaxa on Oct. 14, 2013.

However, he says that he suffered a major internal hemorrhage on Nov. 22, 2014, where he “nearly bled to death,” the lawsuit states. It was then that he was admitted to intensive care at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Neb. and received multiple blood transfusions and other treatment.

He says that he would had never began taking the medication had Boehringer “properly disclosed the risks associated with its use.”

The Pradaxa hemorrhage lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including failure to warn, design defect, negligence, negligence per se, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, breach of express warranty, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Overview: Pradaxa Hemorrhage

Pradaxa (dabigtran), manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, is a relatively new anticoagulant medication. It is classified as part of a class of medications known as Direct Thrombin Inhibitors.

When first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was believed to be a superior medication to another anticoagulant medication, warfarin, as it required patients to undergo less monitoring and no change in their diet.

However, some patients have no come to find serious side effects linked to Pradaxa, and state that they were never warned about these side effects. In fact, reports state that after the drug’s market introduction there were nearly 307 reports of severe internal bleeding complications linked to Pradaxa. Other side effects also included gastrointestinal bleeding as well.

Additionally, while warfarin provided a counteract or antidote for episodes of severe internal bleeding through administration of vitamin K, for example, Pradaxa provided no antidote at the time of its market introduction.

The first year of Pradaxa’s market introduction, more than 260 patient deaths were reported due to internal bleeding side effects and other serious complications such as stroke, hemorrhage, and internal bleeding effects.

An antidote or reversal agent was finally approved by the FDA on Oct. 16, 2015. The reversal agent, Praxbind (idarucizumab), helps stop Pradaxa internal bleeding side effects and complications. Nonetheless, approval for the antidote was approved five years too late for thousands of individuals.

Some symptoms for Pradaxa internal bleeding includes: frequent nose bleeds, bleeding from the gums, discolored urine, red or black stool, coughing up blood and possibly vomiting blood

The FDA also released a warning notification regarding serious Pradaxa internal bleeding in December 2011. Current lawsuits filed against Boehringer allege that the company knew of these serious adverse effects but failed to accurately and properly disclose the likelihood of them.

Additionally, victims of a Pradaxa hemorrhage state that while they knew of the risk of bleeding involved with taking an anticoagulant medication, Pradaxa is linked to increased risk for “excessive” bleeding for which they were never warned.

Thousands of plaintiffs have now filed Pradaxa hemorrhage lawsuits to help with any financial damages that they may have suffered, medical expenses, time away from work, and even time away from the loved ones due to these serious side effects.

The Pradaxa Hemorrhage Lawsuit is Case No. 8:18-cv-00550-LSC-MDN, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska.