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Missouri Widow Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Pradaxa Makers

Brenda Medley of Missouri has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Boehringer Ingelheim, the makers of the anti-coagulant drug Pradaxa. This Pradaxa death lawsuit alleges that Boehringer Ingelheim was negligent in warning prescribing physicians and consumers that their product could produce gastrointestinal bleeding, brain hemorrhages, heart attacks, strokes and death. Ms. Medley has filed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Missouri and is seeking a judgment for relief from medical costs, pain and suffering, legal fees, compensatory damages and punitive damages related to the untimely death of her husband.

Howard Thomas Medley is the deceased spouse of Brenda Medley. He was prescribed Pradaxa as a treatment for atrial fibrillation in April of 2011. In October of 2012, Mr. Medley was hospitalized for excessive blood loss allegedly related to Pradaxa and had to be treated with a blood transfusion. The Pradaxa internal bleeding injuries that Mr. Medley suffered likely contributed to his death in February 2013, argues the claimant.

In her Pradaxa death lawsuit, Brenda Medley alleges that Boehringer Ingelheim was negligent in failing to warn patients and doctors that the drug could produce uncontrollable bleeding.

Allegations cited in Pradaxa death lawsuit

Pradaxa was marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim as a safe alternative to the conventional anti-coagulant drug warfarin for use in the treatment of non-valvular atrial fibrillation.  The makers of Pradaxa emphasized that their product did not require the dose refinement and close blood monitoring that warfarin necessitated.  Boehringer Ingelheim, however, failed to warn users that, unlike warfarin, their drug did not have a treatment for uncontrolled Pradaxa internal bleeding.

Both Pradaxa and warfarin are used by physicians as an anti-clotting drug which can prevent strokes and systemic embolisms. Both drugs carry with their use the possibility of excessive bleeding, but Pradaxa bleeding cannot be stopped easily like those resulting from warfarin, which responds quickly to Vitamin K.

Boehringer Ingelheim faces litigation over internal bleeding injuries

According to the Pradaxa death lawsuit filed by Ms. Medley, her husband experienced serious bodily injury from his use of this drug.  The traumatic injuries that caused Mr. Medley to seek hospital care produced severe emotional, mental and physical anguish which were contributing factors to his untimely death.

Hundreds of other Pradaxa users have also filed claims against Boehringer Ingelheim. Many of these plaintiffs cite incidents of hemorrhage, liver failure, acute renal failure and stroke.  According to the Food and Drug Administration, more than 542 cases of death have resulted from Pradaxa use.

There have been almost 1,000 lawsuits filed against Boehringer Ingelheim related to Pradaxa.  Many of these cases have consolidated into a multidistrict litigation, which facilitates more efficient pre-trial processes for large numbers of lawsuits that share common issues of fact. The consolidated Pradaxa litigation is taking place in the U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois under the supervision of Judge David Herndon.  The first trials in this MDL are expected to begin in March 2014.