The popular anticoagulant, Pradaxa, was at one time considered a viable alternative to other anticoagulants on the market.

However, Pradaxa internal bleeding, a possible side effect, is a cause for alarm among patients and doctors alike.

Pradaxa is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and is generically known as dabigatran.

A direct thrombin inhibitor, Pradaxa was approved by the FDA in October 2010.

It was considered superior to warfarin, the standard anticoagulant, and was used to prevent strokes. Pradaxa requires less maintenance than warfarin and was thought to have fewer side effects.

After only one year on the market, it had seized 16% of the marketplace for those suffering from atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat); nearly 50% of patients were not taking any medication at all.

By 2012, nearly four million prescriptions had been filled for Pradaxa in the U.S. Sales reached $209 million worldwide by the first quarter of 2012.

However, in just the first three months after FDA approval, they fielded over 300 reports of serious side effects including internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding and other serious health complications.

Even though Pradaxa was marketed as a drug superior to warfarin because the reduced need for constant monitoring, warfarin has an antidote for internal bleeding.

Vitamin K can be administered to someone taking warfarin who is experiencing uncontrollable bleeding.

Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuits claim that once a hemorrhage or internal bleed starts there is no way to stop the bleed unless the patient undergoes dialysis to rid the body of Pradaxa.

This can result in blood transfusions, and at the worst, death.

In December 2011, the FDA issued a Pradaxa internal bleeding warning notifying the medical community and patients of the serious side effects of the drug, and it was not until very recently that Pradaxa has had an antidote for Pradaxa internal bleeding.

Praxbind, the antidote for Pradaxa internal bleeding, was only recently approved in October 2015.

Praxbind is the first and only reversal agent for Pradaxa and works by binding to the drug compound to neutralize its effects.

Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Lawsuits

Many Pradaxa users and families of Pradaxa users have filed Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuits. Since 2010, manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim has faced thousands of claims regarding Pradaxa internal bleeding events.

In 2014, the drug company announced it would pay $650 million to settle over 4,000 U.S. state and federal Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuits.

Most Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuits accuse Boehringer Ingelheim of knowing about the severe side effects of Pradaxa but not disclosing that information to doctors or patients.

Pradaxa attorneys are also available to families who lost a loved one allegedly due to a Pradaxa side effect. If your loved one died while taking Pradaxa you may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Boehringer Ingelheim.