Though the drug manufacturer denies Pradaxa as a defective drug, the surmounting Pradaxa bleeding deaths, injuries, and lawsuits prove otherwise. Pradaxa was introduced onto the U.S. drug market in October 2010, after receiving approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug is manufactured by German pharmaceutical giant, Boehringer Ingelheim.
As a blood thinning medication, Pradaxa is used to prevent strokes and blood clots in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation.
However, one the complications identified with blood thinning medications is the risk of excessive internal bleeding. With other blood thinning drugs, such as warfarin, the reversal agent is vitamin K, which acts as a cure fore excessive bleeding.
However, with Pradaxa, when patients experience an episode of excessive and uncontrollable bleeding, there is no known cure to reverse or control the effects of Pradaxa. These severe bleeding episodes often result in what is called a Pradaxa bleed-out death.
Since its introduction two years ago, there have been reports of 500 deaths in the United States alone that are closely tied to Pradaxa.
With many patients in an uproar over the complications and deaths linked to Pradaxa, there are now over 150 lawsuits filed against Boehringer Ingelheim claiming that the drug company knew about the risk of Pradaxa bleeding deaths, but failed to provide this information to the FDA during the approval period.
Most of the Pradaxa lawsuits filed against the manufacturer have been issued in Southern Illinois. Pradaxa lawsuits have been consolidated into U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis in Re: Pradaxa Products Liability Litigation, 12-MD-2385, overseen by U.S. District Judge David Herndon.
In speaking with Bloomberg News, a spokesperson for Boehringer Ingelheim, Emily Baier, stated that, “Boehringer Ingelheim believes that the product liability lawsuits filed against the company regarding Pradaxa are without merit.” Clearly, Pradaxa’s manufacturer is choosing to ignore the reality that Pradaxa has been linked to 500 deaths and over 3,000 side effect injuries in only 2 years of the drug being on the market.
Pradaxa was intended to be a replacement for warfarin, a drug approved by the FDA in June 1954. Warfarin is notorious for requiring numerous doctor’s visits and constant monitoring. Pradaxa was developed in an effort to cut down on these monitoring requirements. As Pradaxa deaths, patient complication reports, and mounting lawsuits indicate, the expectation of Pradaxa to revolutionize the blood thinning drug market has not been the reality.
If you or a loved one has fallen victim to the harmful side effects of Pradaxa, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your emotional, physical, and financial suffering. In cases where drug companies have clearly neglected to inform the public about the safety of their products, experienced defective drug lawyers at Carey Danis & Lowe believe it is our duty to work with clients in holding these drug manufacturers responsible for their gross negligence.
For a free legal consultation regarding your Pradaxa case, contact a Pradaxa lawyer at Carey Danis & Lowe today at 800.721.2519.
