Pradaxa Lawyer

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Pradaxa is in a class of anticoagulant, or blood thinner, drugs called direct thrombin inhibitors. Direct thrombin inhibitors, like Pradaxa, work by attaching to clotting agents in the blood and thereby reducing their ability to clot.

Manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim, Pradaxa is used to help prevent strokes or serious blood clots in people who have atrial fibrillation without heart valve disease. Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the heart beats irregularly, increasing the chance of blood clots forming and possibly causing strokes.

Pradaxa was marketed as a replacement for older blood thinners like warfarin. All blood thinners carry a risk of causing excessive bleeding, but the risk appears to be heightened with Pradaxa. On top of that, Pradaxa does not require monthly blood tests and has no known counteracting drug, unlike other blood thinners.

Between October 2010 and August 2011, approximately 1.1 million prescriptions for Pradaxa were administered by U.S. pharmacies. Call a Pradaxa lawyer if you have been harmed after taking this medication. We can help you file a claim.

Excessive Bleeding Caused by Pradaxa

Pradaxa was approved by the FDA and launched in the U.S. in 2010. By 2011, Boehringer Ingelheim was forced to adjust the drug’s label and issue a warning for potentially fatal bleeding in Japan, New Zealand, and Europe.

Soon after, the FDA began investigating reports on Pradaxa as bleed-related deaths continued to mount at a rate significantly greater than other blood thinners.

Boehringer Ingelheim reported 260 fatal bleeding events related to Pradaxa between March 2008 and October 2011. To learn about how Pradaxa recalls could impact your lawsuit, contact a knowledgeable attorney to schedule a consultation.

Signs of Excessive Bleeding

Certain physical symptoms may appear if your Pradaxa medication has caused internal or excessive bleeding to occur. These symptoms include:

• Coughing up blood
• Vomiting blood
• Unusual bleeding from the gums
• Frequent nose bleeds
• Bruises that happen or grow larger without a known cause
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Pink or brown urine
• Red or black stools

If you are taking Pradaxa and experience any of these symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. Excessive bleeding from Pradaxa can be difficult to control, so it is essential to receive prompt medical attention.

Who is at Risk for Excessive Bleeding?

Although the risk for bleeding is present for any blood thinner taken by any person, certain patients may be at a higher risk while taking Pradaxa. These patients who should be especially cautious include those who:

• Are 75 years of age or older
• Have existing kidney problems
• Have stomach bleeding or an ulcer
• Are taking other drugs that also increase the risk of bleeding, including:
  • Aspirin
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids)
  • Other blood thinners

Call a Pradaxa Attorney to Schedule a Consultation

If you were harmed by taking this drug, you should call a Pradaxa lawyer as soon as possible. In order to file a Pradaxa lawsuit, the following criteria must be met:

• Must have taken the Pradaxa drug brand. Generic versions do not meet the criteria for a lawsuit.
• Suffered from one or more of the following complications while taking Pradaxa:
  • Internal bleeding
  • Excessive bleeding
  • Injury from passing out/falling
  • Hemorrhagic stroke (cerebral hemorrhage)
  • Death