Pradaxa Lawyers Now Accepting Pradaxa Bleeding Lawsuits:
FDA Cites Deaths, Life-Threatening Pradaxa Side Effects

If you or a loved one has suffered serious bleeding problems as a result of the use of the popular blood thinner Pradaxa you may be eligible to file a Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuit and seek compensation.

Our experienced, aggressive lawyers are now investigating claims from patients who trusted Pradaxa to protect them against blood clots only to find that they eventually wound up suffering life-threatening side effects.

Among these dangerous conditions are heart attacks and bleeding problems in the brain, intestines and kidneys. Please contact us as soon as possible to ensure that all of your legal rights are protected.

There may be time limits involved in certain cases and the earlier you contact us about Pradaxa internal bleeding problems the more effectively we can begin pursuing compensation in cases in which eligibility is determined.

Free consultations are being offered to advise Pradaxa victims about the legal options that may be available to them in seeking compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering or other expenses that may have been incurred as a result of this dangerous product.

Pradaxa Patients Could Face Life-Threatening Side Effects

If you are among the hundreds of thousands of patients prescribed the revolutionary new blood thinner medication Pradaxa (dabigatran) you may be among those affected by disturbing reports of serious health problems that in some cases have proven fatal.

Many Pradaxa users who take the medication to prevent strokes are reporting serious negative side effects such as severe internal bleeding, kidney problems and brain hemorrhages.

Victims who are suffering from these problems and those who have lost loved ones are responding by filing lawsuits in which they are seeking damages from the drug’s maker, Boehringer Ingelheim.

 If you are among those who have been affected you will want the latest information about this health problem and a full understanding of your legal rights.

Our lawyers and attorneys are here to help you with a Pradaxa lawsuit – including a free consultation about your legal options – and offer you aggressive, experienced representation for your suffering.

If you’ve suffered health problems from your use of Pradaxa and would like to add your comments or stories about problems with the medications please see the bottom of this page.

What Are the Allegations in Pradaxa Lawsuits?

When you read the details that are contained in drug-defect lawsuits it is impossible not to be heartbroken by the suffering of these victims. Their allegations detail the pain and physical and emotional stress that they and their loved ones have undergone.

In some cases families have been financially devastated by the loss of income of the family provider or overwhelmed by financial ruin due to medical costs. The loss of any family member is devastating but even more so when the victim was taking prescribed medication that he or she believed was safe and had undergone regulatory inspection.

Our experienced Pradaxa lawyers have aggressively and successfully pursued many drug-defect cases on behalf of victims. Our legal team has the capability to exhaustively research the records and results involved with the development and approval of medications.

Many of the details of these clinical trials and insider information are not public record but they are subject to the requests of our lawyers on behalf of you. Many of the allegations involved in Pradaxa lawsuits deal with whether drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. properly researched the effects of Pradaxa and ensured that it would be safe for consumers.

There is also the question of whether, in the face of such a large number of reports of problems, the company became aware of defects in the drug but failed to notify consumers and government regulators as required by law.

Are you eligible to seek compensation for Pradaxa side effects? Contact us as soon as possible for a free legal consultation about your case.

How to File a Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Claim

Here are the most frequently asked questions from Pradaxa victims:
•        How do I file a claim or lawsuit over Pradaxa?
•        Am I eligible to file a claim or lawsuit?
•        How many other Pradaxa lawsuits have been filed?
•        I am no longer taking Pradaxa, am I still eligible?
•        Besides my medical costs what other damages am I eligible for?
•        Do most Pradaxa cases settle or go to trial?
•        Is there a time limit for a Pradaxa case to be filed?

Our experienced nationwide team of Pradaxa internal bleeding lawyers are here to help you and make things easy for you. We have a depth of experience in these types of cases that provides aggressive, victim-friendly, efficient representation.
We are here to answer the questions you may have about your legal rights to seek compensation.

The first step is for you to contact us as soon as possible for a free consultation about the specifics of your Pradaxa internal bleeding case. This will enable us to provide you an informed analysis of the legal options that may be available to you.

We are cognizant of the fact that this is a very stressful time for you or a loved one but it is important that you contact us as soon as possible because there may be legal time limits involved in your claim.

FDA Announces Pradaxa Bleeding Details

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a public update of its assessment of the serious bleeding risks attached to best-selling blood thinners Pradaxa as well as other blood thinners that outline the internal bleeding dangers.

These drugs are designed to help prevent heart attacks and strokes with Pradaxa being marketed as a newer, improved medication. However, Pradaxa has been named in numerous lawsuits in which victims claim that serious bleeding problems caused by the medication have led to kidney, brain, gastrointestinal bleeding and heart attacks and deaths.

There have been so many Pradaxa lawsuits filed, for instance, that a huge number have been consolidated before a judge who is overseeing pre-trial evidence gathering and settlement talks.

The controversy has drawn the attention of USA TODAY, which recently profiled the Pradaxa litigation and noted that "The drug has been under attack by physicians groups and patient advocates since 3,781 adverse effects and 542 deaths associated with Pradaxa were reported last year to the Food and Drug Administration. Its adverse reports and deaths surpassed all other monitored drugs."

Here is the most serious language from the FDA about Pradaxa bleeding problems"
"Pradaxa and warfarin are important medications used to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm abnormality, which causes the heart (upper chambers or atria) to beat rapidly and irregularly.  Although these drugs reduce the number of strokes in patients with non-valvular AF, they can cause bleeding, potentially leading to serious or even fatal outcomes.  The risk of bleeding is a well-recognized risk of anticoagulant drugs."
The FDA also has encouraged health care professionals and patients to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of Pradaxa to the agency's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.

Pradaxa Problems Not limited to Internal Bleeding

While most of the reports of health problems stemming from the use of Pradaxa deal with internal bleeding there are other issues that have arisen in connection with the use of the drug. CBS News reported on a study that showed that patients taking Pradaxa are three times more likely to suffer a “heart attack or severe symptoms of heart disease” than do patients taking other clotting drugs or placebos.

Safety warnings about the drug’s dangers have been posted by health officials in Japan, Australia and by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA also has warned that the drug breaks down quickly when removed from its original container, a circumstance which can seriously decrease its effectiveness.

Pradaxa Has Lengthy History of Bleeding Problems

Pradaxa was approved by the FDA and first put on the marketplace in late 2010. It was marketed as a new-wave blood thinner that had superior qualities in protecting victims of atrial fibrillation from suffering strokes.

It didn’t take long for problems to surface that called into question the safety of the drug and the testing methods used to ensure that it was appropriately researched in clinical trials. Numerous media accounts and the FDA’s own records show that the agency received over 300 reports of internal bleeding or other serious side effects from the use of the drug during the first three months that it was sold.

Also cited was a report detailing Pradaxa adverse events reports listed by the FDA that showed that there were more problems reported with the blood thinner than nearly 99 percent of the other drugs monitored by the federal agency.

What Are the Symptoms of Pradaxa Internal Bleeding?

These are some of the most common symptoms that have been identified in connection with excessive bleeding by Pradaxa victims:
•        Severe headaches
•        Repeated nosebleeds
•        Constant fatigue
•        Weakening or swelling in the body’s joints, arms, hands, legs, ankles or feet
•        Feeling dizzy
•        Unusual bruises or bleeding, particularly in the gums
•        Vomiting blood that looks like coffee grounds
•        Coughing up blood
•        Menstrual or vaginal bleeding that is heavier than normal
•        Unusual colored urine, such as brown or pink
•        Unusual colored stools, such as black or red that look like tar
•        Coughing up blood

What is Pradaxa?

In the dense prose of medical dictionaries, Pradaxa is a direct thrombin inhibitor designed to block the blood enzyme responsible for causing clots. As the drug’s maker describes it: “PRADAXA is a prescription blood-thinning medicine used to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem. With atrial fibrillation, part of the heart does not beat the way it should. This can cause blood clots to form, increasing your risk of a stroke. PRADAXA lowers the chance of blood clots forming your body.”

All anticoagulants carry some degree of risk of internal bleeding and Pradaxa carries, as required by the FDA, a warning label that informs patients about the possibility of internal bleeding and other side effects.

These side effects are also detailed on the drug’s web site but there is no mention of the high level of concern voiced by the FDA, the large number of reports that have been filed with the agency or the increasing number of lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturer.

Drugs such as warfarin, that preceded Pradaxa as blood thinners, also list internal bleeding as side effects but there are antidotes to internal bleeding with those drugs. However, no antidote is available for internal hemorrhaging caused by Pradaxa, which was marketed as an improvement over warfarin because, according to advertising, it is easier to use and requires less monitoring.

In a Dec. 7, 2011 safety communication, the FDA said it is reviewing the reports that it has received of severe bleeding events in people taking Pradaxa: “FDA is working to determine whether the reports of bleeding in patients taking Pradaxa are occurring more commonly than would be expected, based on observations in the large clinical trial that supported the approval of Pradaxa.”

Facts about Pradaxa Issued by the FDA
•        A blood thinner (anticoagulant) known as a direct thrombin inhibitor.
•        Approved to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots (systemic embolism) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation.
•        Available as 75 mg and 150 mg oral capsules.
•        From approval in October 2010 through August 2011, a total of approximately 1.1 million Pradaxa prescriptions were dispensed.
•        Approximately 371,000 patients received Pradaxa prescriptions from U.S. outpatient retail pharmacies.