Pradaxa is a prescription blood thinner manufactured by German pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim. Prescription blood thinners or anticoagulants like Pradaxa are meant to prevent stroke and other problems arising from blockage. Pradaxa is a relatively new drug on the market, and in its first year of operation it has reportedly led to more than 260 Pradaxa deaths.
Recent reports suggest that the number of Pradaxa deaths from internal bleeding may actually be much higher than previously believed. The product liability lawyers at The Willis Law firm are currently reviewing potential Pradaxa Lawsuits for individuals who have suffered from severe internal bleeding caused by Pradaxa.
After reviewing the cases of the more than 260 Pradaxa patients who died from internal bleeding in Pradaxa’s first year, experts have suggested that the makers of Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim, failed to adequately warn patients about the Pradaxa’s internal bleeding risk.
During the first three months that Pradaxa was on the market, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received more than 300 reports about Pradaxa problems related to internal bleeding and other Pradaxa complications. Most of these Pradaxa internal bleeding issues and other Pradaxa complications occurred among elderly patients.
According to another report filed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), Pradaxa had more problems reported about it than 98.7% of other drugs that the ISMP was monitoring. A majority of these negative reports about Pradaxa related to internal bleeding among Pradaxa patients. Internal bleeding can be mild such as in cases of mild bruising, but it can also be very serious and potentially lead to death.
It is expected that some internal bleeding might occur from a blood thinner like Pradaxa because that is part of the functionality of the drug, but not to the extent that it has from Pradaxa. Pradaxa has led to hundreds of internal bleeding deaths that were not adequately warned about by the pharmaceutical company. It is for that reason that there are currently Pradaxa lawsuits being filed for patients who have suffered or died from Pradaxa related internal bleeding.
One reason that internal bleeding is especially bad in patients taking Pradaxa as opposed to alternative blood thinners is that it is difficult to counteract the blood thinning once it has begun in Pradaxa patients. Before Pradaxa, the most common blood thinning treatment was warfarin. Pradaxa was chosen by many over warfarin because it required less monitoring. However, if a patient taking warfarin begins to suffer from abnormal internal bleeding, they may counteract the internal bleeding side effects with Vitamin K. When a patient taking Pradaxa begins to suffer from abnormal internal bleeding, there is currently no known solution which acts like Vitamin K does for warfarin patients.
This is one major reason why Pradaxa may be much more dangerous than previously thought, and why there have been so many cases of internal bleeding among Pradaxa patients, even many leading to Pradaxa deaths.
Pradaxa Internal Bleeding Lawsuit – Speak to a Lawyer
If you have suffered from internal bleeding or know of someone who has suffered or died from internal bleeding which you believe may be caused by Pradaxa, you may be entitled to financial compensation from the makers of Pradaxa. Potential Pradaxa internal bleeding lawsuits are currently being reviewed. Please contact our law firm immediately to see if you have a Pradaxa internal bleeding case.