Pradaxa Settles Bleeding Lawsuits for $650M
Posted on Jun 12, 2014 5:02pm PDT
Boehringer Ingelheim is a Germany-based drug manufacturing company that has recently faced a barrage of lawsuits in connection an anticoagulant medication known as Pradaxa. The medication was approved by the FDA in October of 2010. Its primary use was stroke prevent in patients with atrial fibrillation. This is one of the most common heart rhythm abnormalities. The drug was essentially a blood thinner which was designed to replace warfarin, a drug that has been around for more than 60 years.
The Pradaxa Lawsuits
Last month, the company agreed to pay $650M to settle approximately 4,000 lawsuits. All the plaintiffs in these lawsuits claim that the company did not warn them about the risk of deadly bleeding that could result from use of Pradaxa. Thousands of patients have suffered from internal bleeding after taking the medication, and the drug has been linked to more than 500 patient deaths. Warfarin, the original blood thinner, also produces bleeding side effects in some patients, but these can be treated with a dose of vitamin K. In Pradaxa cases, there is no known cure.
The History of Problems with Pradaxa
Pradaxa has been targeted in state and federal court lawsuits by more than 4,000 people throughout the U.S. According to The Legal Examiner, more than 2,350 of the Pradaxa cases were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation case which is centralized n the Southern District of Illinois. All complaints claim that the company discovered data that showed the potential of fatal bleeding in some patients. Despite this knowledge, they did not disclose the data to the FDA when the drug was cleared for sale. As a result, no warnings about tis side effect were listed on the packaging.
Have you suffered injury from Pradaxa?
If you have been harmed by the anticoagulant drug Pradaxa, you need to talk with an attorney at Jackson, Allen & Williams LLP today. We are a national litigation that is focused on helping clients suffering from dangerous drug side effects. Allow us to represent you today and seek the compensation that you deserve after suffering severe discomfort or a devastating illness.
Our firm can also litigate on behalf of family members who lost a loved one due to the dangerous side effects of Pradaxa. Call our firm today to discuss your case with one of our professional dangerous drug lawyers.