New Pradaxa Side Effects Lawsuit Joins Illinois MDL

New Pradaxa Side Effects Lawsuit Joins Illinois MDL

By John Curran

A Tennessee man who dealt with internal bleeding allegedly caused by the blood thinner medication Pradaxa has filed a lawsuit against drug maker Takeda Pharmaceuticals. The Pradaxa lawsuit was filed directly into multidistrict litigation centralized in Illinois.

The Pradaxa lawsuit does not cite what type of bleeding occurred while Nathaniel Perry was taking the blood thinner medication. However, bleeding in the brain and gastrointestinal tract has been reported by patients using the blood thinner, especially those diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. According to his Pradaxa lawsuit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals has failed to adequately warn patients of the fact that there is no reversal agent for Pradaxa bleeds.

Specifically, while the generic blood thinner warfarin interacts with numerous medications and even food, emergency room doctors can treat patients with potassium to stop internal bleeding, something that is not possible with Pradaxa internal bleeding. As a result, hundreds of Pradaxa users have died from internal hemorrhaging episodes. The Pradaxa lawsuit notes that during the six-month period from October 2010 to March 2011, at least 120 deaths and 932 instances of Pradaxa injuries were reported to the FDA.

In other countries, medical professionals or regulatory agencies have forced changes including a label update in Japan and a letter to doctors in Canada regarding the irreversible nature of internal bleeding in Pradaxa users. The Food and Drug Administration, for its part, still deems the blood thinner medication safer than warfarin in spite of these risks and studies where the relative benefits are not as great as perceived.

Moreover, Perry’s Pradaxa lawsuit alleges that there are not enough dosage possibilities to adequately account for different patients with different lifestyles, which can lead to overprescription according to the complaint. Atrial fibrillation patients to this day are not warned about the possibility of irreversible hemorrhaging from Pradaxa side effects.

The drug has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, and the Perry complaint joins centralized legal action against Takeda. Many of the Pradaxa side effects lawsuit plaintiffs are actually family members; a number of cases allege wrongful death because of the perceived danger regarding the blood thinner.

The Pradaxa side effects lawsuit is Nathaniel Perry v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. et al., Case No. 13-cv-51367, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. Counts against the drug maker include strict products liability, negligence and fraud among others.

Men and women who have dealt with hemorrhaging issues caused by Pradaxa side effects may be able to pursue compensatory damages. Learn more about your legal options by visiting the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation and filling out the short form there for a free consultation.

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