Pradaxa Use Leads to Blood Transfusion for One Lawsuit Plaintiff

Pradaxa Use Leads to Blood Transfusion for One Lawsuit Plaintiff

By Andrea Gressman

Harriet Meyer was reportedly misled by the labeling on the oral blood thinner she was taking, Pradaxa. As a result she suffered severe side effects including acute gastrointestinal bleeding, tarry stools, overall weakness, and shortness of breath. Her bleeding was so severe that Ms. Meyer needed blood transfusions and was required to stay in the hospital for two days to recover.  As a result of her horrendous ordeal, Ms. Meyer filed a Pradaxa lawsuit against the manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim.

Details of Meyer’s Pradaxa Injury Lawsuit

Meyer’s Pradaxa injury lawsuit was filed in August in the Eastern District of Kentucky. As of October 1, the Pradaxa lawsuit has been delegated to the U.S. District Court in Illinois to be handled by the Pradaxa multidistrict litigation (MDL).

An alleged victim of misinformation, Ms. Meyer bases her accusations against the manufacturer on insufficient warnings of Pradaxa’s side effects, though Boehringer Ingelheim did update the label in April 2012 — five months before she filed her Pradaxa side effects lawsuit.

Chief among her complaints are design defect, fraudulent concealment, misrepresentation and strict liability. With her allegations, Meyer intends to claim both punitive and actual damages, in addition to fees, costs and interest. Not surprisingly, she is only one of many Pradaxa sufferers. Numerous Pradaxa lawsuit plaintiffs who have experienced harmful side effects from the medication claim that the Pradaxa warning label lacked sufficient information, and await restitution through a Pradaxa lawsuit settlement.

The History of Pradaxa and Its Severe Side Effects

Approved by the U.S. FDA in 2010, Pradaxa was developed to be a superior alternative to the long-used anticoagulant Warfarin. Unfortunately, the former appears to cause more harm than the latter, older drug Warfarin (also referred to as Coumadin) that has been used for 50 years to treat patients suffering from vein thrombosis. While effective in treating the disorder, Warfarin can produce side effects including swelling, nausea, and in severe cases, internal bleeding. As opposed to the internal bleeding caused by Pradaxa, the same side effect caused by Warfarin is treatable with large doses of vitamin K. This vitamin naturally supports blood coagulation, as well as bone and tissue health. There is no known antidote to internal bleeding caused by Pradaxa, and it has been mandated in Europe that the drug’s label must clearly state this side effect risk.

Pradaxa Report Reveals Hundreds of Deaths Due to Pradaxa Internal Bleeding

According to a report by FDA MedWatch, the ramifications of Boehringer Ingelheim’s oversight are startling. The report revealed that Pradaxa caused more deaths in 2011 than any other drug. In addition to the 542 causalities, there were 291 cases of acute Pradaxa renal failure, 644 Pradaxa strokes and 2,367 incidences of Pradaxa hemorrhaging. It is only recently, after many individuals have unnecessarily suffered, that the manufacturer admits that the drug has caused five times as many deaths than formerly acknowledged. Shockingly, Pradaxa sales exceed $1 billion this year.

Filing a Pradaxa Lawsuit

If you or someone you know suffered from one of the many side effects linked to Pradaxa, like internal bleeding or a heart attack, you need to know your legal options. You still have time to file a Pradaxa lawsuit and potentially join the MDL. Visit the Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Class Action Lawsuit Investigation to receive a free consultation from a qualified Pradaxa lawsuit lawyer.