Louisiana Man Claims Pradaxa Injuries

A Louisiana resident is claiming that Pradaxa drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. should be held liable for the side effects he experienced after taking the blood thinning medication. Arnold R. Sykes filed his lawsuit on the 18th of June, 2012, in the United States’ District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, hoping to win damages that would help cover aspects of the side effects he has experienced. He also claims that the drug maker over-promoted Pradaxa, after spending millions of dollars in marketing and sales visits. The company allegedly failed to reveal that there is no way to reverse the blood thinning effects of Pradaxa should excessive or severe bleeding take place in these sales visits.

Severe side effects claimed

Sykes claims that he was prescribed the medication around the 1st of June, 2011, for the long-term maintenance of the atrial fibrillation he suffers from. Shortly thereafter he experienced severe rectal bleeding and began spitting up blood. On the 1st of July, 2011, he collapsed and was admitted into the intensive care unit at his local hospital, where he received significant blood transfusions and doctors discontinued his use of Pradaxa immediately. He underwent a number of procedures in order to save his life and claims that had he known the risk of bleeding from Pradaxa and other side effects, he never would have taken the medication. Now he is seeking compensation for Pradaxa injuries he has experienced and continues experiencing.

He claims that he was never informed of the risk of developing life-threatening injuries as associated with the use of the medication nor did he know of the dangers of Pradaxa when compared to the use of the other standard blood thinning medication known as warfarin.

Failure to warn cited in suit

Sykes claims that the defendants did not adequately warn patients about the risk of side effects such as bleeding and other life-threatening conditions. Lawyers have also claimed that defendants did not adequately warn about the lack of a reversal agent for Pradaxa that would stop any bleeding.

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