Pradaxa the Subject of New Lawsuits

Pradaxa is the brand name for dabigatran, an anticoagulant developed by Boehringer Ingelheim that was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010. Despite the FDA’s approval, the drug carries risks that can make it dangerous for patients.

What Does Pradaxa Do?

The FDA approved Pradaxa as a stroke-prevention drug for patients who have nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. This common form of irregular heart beat puts patients at a higher risk of stroke. By reducing this risk, Pradaxa is supposed to help patients lead longer lives with fewer health complications. Unfortunately, there are other risks that make it a poor choice for many people.

The Dangers of Pradaxa

More than one out of ten patients taking Pradaxa has experienced gastrointestinal bleeding. Typically, this wouldn’t make the drug particularly dangerous. What many patients and doctors don’t know, though, is that there isn’t a reliable treatment to stop the bleeding induced by Pradaxa. Patients who start bleeding can only discontinue use and hope that the bleeding stops before they experience serious damage.

The drug also puts patients at a significantly higher risk of having heart attacks.

The Pradaxa Lawsuit

Several lawsuits have accused Boehringer Ingelheim of making several mistakes in producing this defective drug. The lawsuits claim the drug manufacturer is liable for pain, suffering, and even the wrongful deaths of some patients taking Pradaxa.

Drug representatives telling doctors about the drug often minimized the dangers of taking Pradaxa. In many cases, the representatives did not mention that the drug Warfarin offers similar results without bleeding. Not surprisingly, Warfarin costs about $48 per year while Pradaxa costs about $3000 per year. Boehringer Ingelheim, in other words, stood to make a lot of money by omitting this information.

By misleading doctors, Boehringer Ingelheim put patients at a high risk of internal bleeding without their knowledge. When doctors and consumers don’t have adequate information, they cannot make good medical decisions. That’s a serious breach of trust that affects the entire medical community, not to mention the suffering patients and their families.

If you have taken Pradaxa, then you could use the help of Thomas Law Offices. An attorney from our firm can represent you in your lawsuit. Those who have been negatively affected by Pradaxa need legal representation that will help them get the compensation that they deserve.