Pradaxa Target of Hundreds of Internal Bleeding Lawsuits

By Sarah Mirando | August 20, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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Pradaxa Target of Hundreds of Internal Bleeding Lawsuits

By Matt O’Donnell

Boehringer Ingelheim has been hit with another product liability lawsuit filed by a user who suffered intestinal bleeding from the company’s blood-thinning drug Pradaxa. Boehringer is the target of hundreds of Pradaxa injury lawsuits alleging the drug maker failed to warn the public about the drug’s serious bleeding side effects. The drug has come under attack after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it received 3,781 reports of adverse events and 542 reports of deaths associated with Pradaxa last year.

The latest Pradaxa lawsuit, filed by 75-year-old Tennessee resident Charles Jackson, alleges Jackson was prescribed the blood-thinning medication after suffering a stroke in September 2011. Three weeks after taking Pradaxa, Jackson experienced intestinal bleeding — one of the many serious side effects of Pradaxa.

Jackson is one of millions of patients nationwide who have been prescribed Pradaxa, a blood thinner approved by the FDA in 2010 to treat patients with blood clots and heart problems. Pradaxa was supposed to replace the decades-old stroke prevention drug Warfarin (Coumadin), which requires weekly exams and strict dietary restrictions. Warfarin is also linked to brain hemorrhages and other types of internal bleeding. Boehringer Ingelheim introduced Pradaxa as an easier, safer alternative, and sold over $1 billion of the drug.

According to Pradaxa lawyers, however, Boehringer concealed from patients and the medical community a critical fact — that Pradaxa does not have a reversal agent to stop severe bleeding should it occur. Warfarin bleeding can be treated with vitamin K, but Pradaxa has no antidote. This has caused thousands of Pradaxa users to suffer severe, uncontrollable internal bleeding and hemorrhaging. Over 500 Pradaxa bleeding deaths have been reported to the FDA.

Boehringer Faces Hundreds of Pradaxa Bleeding Lawsuits

Like Jackson, other Pradaxa internal bleeding victims have decided to sue Boehringer for failing to warn the public about the risks of bleeding side effects.

On August 8, 2012, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) issued an order consolidating all pending and future Pradaxa lawsuits into one MDL in the Southern District of Illinois under the supervision of Judge David R. Herndon. The new Pradaxa MDL (entitled In re: Pradaxa Product Liability Litigation) will streamline the litigation process, making it easier for Pradaxa bleeding victims to sue Boehringer for compensation for their injuries.

If you or a loved one suffered Pradaxa side effects such as internal bleeding, hemorrhaging or more, you may be able to pursue compensation by joining the Pradaxa lawsuit MDL or by filing a Pradaxa class action lawsuit or Pradaxa wrongful death lawsuit. A skilled Pradaxa injury lawyer can review your case for free and determine which legal option is best for you and your family.

Visit the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation to receive more information about your legal rights. Pradaxa attorneys are standing by, and are eager to help you and your family secure the compensation you deserve.

Updated August 20th, 2012

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