Pradaxa Lawsuit – Blood Thinner Side Effects

Pradaxa Lawsuit Settlement Review

Everything You Need to Know About the Pradaxa Lawsuit

Thousands of Pradaxa users have experienced severe bleeding problems after using the drug. 4,000 of these users recently settled with pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. Here’s everything you need to know about filing a Pradaxa lawsuit.

Status of Pradaxa Lawsuits

German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim recently announced that it will pay $650 million to settle all 4,000 state and federal lawsuits against Pradaxa, which is a popular blood thinner medication.

Pradaxa’s lawsuits cover some serious situations: in 2011, more than 540 Pradaxa users died after using the drug, according to the FDA.

Thousands more users reported serious side effects – including uncontrollable bleeding events.

More people experienced serious side effects from Pradaxa than any other drug monitored by the FDA in 2011.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at how Pradaxa claims to work – and what its alleged side effects may be.

What is Pradaxa?

Pradaxa was approved and launched in 2010 as an alternative to warfarin, the popular blood thinner medication sold under the brand name Coumadin. Warfarin had been sold for decades to reduce the risks of heart attacks and strokes.

One of the key advantages Pradaxa had over warfarin was that warfarin required weekly doctor checkups and daily dietary restrictions. Pradaxa came with no such restrictions.

By 2012, German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim was reporting sales of $1.5 billion, which is a significant chunk of the estimated $10 billion blood thinner industry in America.

Since the launch of Pradaxa, the FDA has approved two other blood thinners, including Xarelto (made by Johnson & Johnson) and Eliquis (made by Pfizer and BristolMyers Squibb).

All of these blood thinners have been linked to some health complications.

Why Are Blood Thinners Dangerous?

Blood thinners are inherently dangerous by nature. After all, the job of the medication is to thin your blood to prevent clotting in your arteries.

This comes with the primary benefit of reducing your risk for heart attack or stroke.

However, it also comes with the unwanted side effect of uncontrollable bleeding: once bleeding starts, there aren’t enough coagulants in your blood to stop the flow.

All blood thinner manufacturers know this. Which is why drugs like warfarin come with an antidote: when warfarin patients experience a bleeding event, a doctor can administer an antidote which counteracts the effects of the drug, stopping bleeding very quickly.

With newer drugs like Pradaxa and Xarelto, there is no antidote. Boehringer says an antidote is currently in development.

That means when patients experience a serious bleeding event, it can lead to serious injuries or even death.

The Pradaxa Settlement and Multi District Litigation

In August 2012, the US District Court for the Southern District of Illinois decided to consolidate federal Pradaxa lawsuits into multidistrict litigation, or MDL.

In February 2014, Boehringer released the following statement in defense of Pradaxa:

“We are certain that we can show in the legal cases that we have worked very carefully and responsibly in research, development and marketing of Pradaxa… We continue to stand resolutely behind Pradaxa and believed from the outset that the plaintiffs’ claims lacked any merit.”

Despite these claims, by May, 2014, Boehringer had agreed to pay $650 million to settle 4,000 Pradaxa lawsuits.

After agreeing to the settlement, Boehringer continued to claim its innocence, stating:

“Notwithstanding our strong belief that we would prevail in these lawsuits, this settlement allows our company to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of protracted litigation over years and years.”

Should You File a Pradaxa Lawsuit Today?

Pradaxa settled all of its state and federal cases as part of the MDL settlement in 2014.

However, many Americans have still experienced severe damages from using Pradaxa. Many of these Americans have faced costly medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other expenses as a result.

In some cases, filing a Pradaxa lawsuit is the only way to recoup your expenses.

Other people file Pradaxa lawsuits for more benevolent reasons: they want to avoid having other families suffer the way they have.

What Are the Accusations Against Boehringer Ingelheim?

The lawsuits against Boehringer have all alleged different things. Some of the complaints lodged against the German pharmaceutical giant include:

-Boehringer marketed Pradaxa as a safer and more convenient alternative to its major competitor, warfarin, which had been the standard blood thinning medication for decades. Many people switched from warfarin to Pradaxa as a result of this marketing. In reality, Pradaxa is allegedly not safer than warfarin, as patients have the same or higher risk for bleeding events. Additionally, warfarin has an antidote to stop excessive bleeding while Pradaxa does not.

-Boehringer allegedly misrepresented that Pradaxa was a “one size fits all” drug that did not require a doctor check up to adjust your dosage based on your condition, personal characteristics, body size, etc.

-Boehringer allegedly failed to adequately warn users of the dangers and severity of excessive, uncontrollable, sometimes fatal bleeding.

-Boehringer allegedly failed to establish any protocol or treatment methods for people who experience severe bleeding from using the drug (once again, there’s no antidote for Pradaxa).

-Boehringer failed to adequately research the safety of the blood thinner or establish variable factors in recommending doses of Pradaxa.

-Boehringer allegedly intentionally concealed the fact that Pradaxa was dangerous and failed in their duty to warn customers of this danger.

Boehringer also allegedly made errors with their labeling and prescription information. The original Pradaxa labeling (when it was launched between October 2010 and March 2011) failed to explain adequate dosing information in regards to patient weight, failed to list warnings about the potential for side effects like gastrointestinal bleeding, and failed to list warnings about the risks of bleeding in older patients and other at-risk populations.

Should You file a Pradaxa Lawsuit?

Ultimately, because of these alleged failures, many people have suffered serious bleeding problems and other injuries (and even death) as a result of using Pradaxa.

If you or a loved one has suffered damages from Pradaxa, then it may be in your best interests to file a lawsuit. A lawsuit can help you recoup expenses, gain justice, and ensure that other people never go through the same experience you went through.

To file a Pradaxa lawsuit, get in touch with pharmaceutical lawyers who specialize in tackling large drug companies. Many pharmaceutical lawyers specifically advertise a specialization in Pradaxa lawsuits. Most work on a contingency basis, which means you don’t have to pay any legal fees until the lawsuit has been settled or won.

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