Pradaxa Drugmaker Accused of Fraud and Negligence

Plaintiff Kay Lanius joined Pradaxa litigation in the United States’ District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville, with her Pradaxa lawsuit, which she filed on October 19, 2012. The plaintiff has named Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, as well as Boehringer Ingelheim International, as defendants in the lawsuit, as the manufacturers of Pradaxa. She is seeking compensation from the defendants after allegedly developing side effects as a result of her use of the blood thinning medication. In particular, the plaintiff claims that she experienced severe bleeding after taking the medication.

Pradaxa marketed as better option

Pradaxa was initially approved by the Food and Drug Administration on the 19th of October, 2010. The drug is an approved anticoagulant medication used in the treatment of patients who suffer from non-valvular atrial fibrillation. It is only the second such medication that has been approved for this type of treatment: warfarin, sold as Coumadin, was the only similar medication for over 50 years. Pradaxa has been marketed as easier to use than warfarin, because warfarin requires patients to restrict their diets and submit to regular blood tests in order to measure the levels of the medication in their blood.

Many lawsuits, including plaintiff Lanius’, argue that despite the arguments made by the manufacturers, Pradaxa is not as effective as warfarin and can, in fact, be much more dangerous. If a patient experiences excessive bleeding while taking warfarin, a dose of vitamin K can be administered, which will reverse the effects and could save a patient’s life. There is no such antidote for Pradaxa bleeding, and as a result, Pradaxa bleeding is more likely to go uncontrolled, which could result in devastating consequences.

Pradaxa lawsuits filed, seeking compensation

Plaintiff Lanius claims in her lawsuit that she was prescribed Pradaxa on July 11, 2011. She says that just 11 days later, on July 22, she suffered from severe gastrointestinal bleeding, which required her hospitalization for five days. She also underwent blood transfusions, ultimately receiving two units of blood. She claims that she was unaware of the increased risk of side effects associated with warfarin, and says that had she known, she would have chosen to use a different medication as to avoid these life-threatening side effects.

Lanius’ lawsuit is reminiscent of dozens of others that have been filed across the country. Like many others, she is charging the manufacturers of Pradaxa with failure to warn, negligence, design defect, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation and/or fraud, and breach of express and implied warranties. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.