Illinois Resident Files Pradaxa Bleeding Suit

An Illinois resident filed a lawsuit regarding side effects of the clot-busting drug Pradaxa in the United States’ District Court for the Southern District of Illinois recently. Jacqueline Boston filed her lawsuit on May 11, 2012, claiming that drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals is liable for the side effects she experienced as a result of her use of the blood thinning medication. Plaintiff Boston claims that the drug makers knew or should have known about the risks associated with use of the medication, but did not adequately warn patients about the risk of side effects associated with Pradaxa. Boston is one of many patients who has opted to join others by filing Pradaxa lawsuits in the hopes of receiving compensation that would help cover medical bills and other costs associated with her injuries.

Gastrointestinal bleeding claimed

According to her lawsuit, plaintiff Boston was prescribed Pradaxa in September of 2011 in order to treat non-valvular atrial fibrillation. She suffered severe gastrointestinal bleeding within only a few days of beginning her treatment with the medication, and was, as a result, hospitalized for almost two weeks with uncontrollable bleeding.

Boston claims that she never would have taken Pradaxa had she known about the possibility of serious bleeding-related side effects. She says that she will now have to undergo lifelong medical monitoring and will have to take medications to monitor her condition for the rest of her life as the result of her side effects from Pradaxa use.

Warning inadequate in Pradaxa cases

Most lawsuits dealing with side effects of the blood thinning medication claim that the drug maker did not adequately warn patients about the risk of side effects associated with its use. The drug was initially more appealing than competitor drugs, because patients on Pradaxa don’t have to restrict their diets or undergo regular monitoring of blood levels. However, Pradaxa also does not have a bleeding reversal agent that it has been associated with. As a result, the side effects of Pradaxa can be long lasting and life threatening.

[SmartLink pradaxalawsuit]