Pradaxa is a blood thinner, also known as an anticoagulant, created by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. It is prescribed to patients who are at risk of blood clots, such as pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis. Over the last several years, signs that Pradaxa has been causing severe internal bleeding have led to product liability lawsuits against the manufacturer for serious injuries and wrongful deaths.
Statistics from Pradaxa research found that in the year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug in 2010, more than 540 patients who took Pradaxa passed away. Thousands of other patients suffered severe health complications. One Pradaxa lawsuit stated that from October 2010 to March 2011, over 272,000 Pradaxa prescriptions were written, and 932 serious adverse events related to Pradaxa were reported to the FDA, including 120 deaths.
The lawsuits against Boehringer claim that the drug manufacturer knew about Pradaxa’s high risk for uncontrollable bleeding yet did nothing to warn consumers about this risk. In addition, for the first five years that Pradaxa was being used, Boehringer had no antidote available to reverse the effects of the drug. This led to many patients suffering internal bleeding, severe bruising, uncontrollable hemorrhaging and fatal bleeding events from otherwise minor injuries.