Man Files Lawsuit Over Pradaxa Stroke

A man who suffered a severe stroke after taking the blood-thinning medication Pradaxa has sued the drug’s manufacturer, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, charging that the company failed to warn about the risk of side effects resulting from Pradaxa use. The plaintiff, Jose Monebias, filed his lawsuit on July 6, 212 in District Court in the Eastern District of California.

No antidote for Pradaxa bleeding, unlike Warfarin

Pradaxa, like all blood-thinning medications, carries the risk of internal bleeding. But unlike Warfarin, another blood thinner, there is no known antidote for Pradaxa internal bleeding. Warfarin bleeding can be controlled with Vitamin K, but this is not the case for Pradaxa.This puts Pradaxa users in more danger, because if they begin to bleed internally, it is more difficult for doctors to control the bleeding. Hundreds of people have bled to death while on this medication.

In his lawsuit, Monebias states that he began using Pradaxa on the recommendation of his doctor to help treat his atrial fibrillation. According to the complaint, neither Monebias nor his doctor were aware that Pradaxa use carried the risk of uncontrolled bleeding with no antidote, and the medication’s label did not carry a warning for this risk. This lack of adequate warning meant he had no way of educating himself as to the drug’s risks. Had he been aware of the danger, he never would have chosen to take Pradaxa, he says in his lawsuit.

Plaintiff suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed

Due to his use of Pradaxa, the plaintiff suffered a severe stroke that left him with permanent injuries, including partial paralysis. His injuries have caused him emotional distress, mental and physical pain, ongoing medical expenses, and economic loss, the lawsuit asserts. He seeks actual, treble, and punitive damages for his injuries, with the specific amount to be determined at trial.

Monebias is far from alone in suffering harmful effects from Pradaxa. In the year 2011 alone, there were nearly 3,000 reports of bleeding injuries in Pradaxa users, which included thousands of cases of internal hemorrhage and hundreds of reports of deaths caused by Pradaxa. Despite the numerous injuries and deaths, the drug has not been recalled.

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