Pharmaceutical Manufacturer May Have Misled Public about Pradaxa

You might be familiar with Pradaxa—a blood-thinning medication that is used to prevent blood clots and strokes in heart arrhythmia patients and manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (BIPI). What you might not be aware of are the claims that their product marketing was misleading to the point that patients suffered egregious injuries including death.

In fact, a recent wrongful death lawsuit was filed against BIPI, resulting in a $1.25 million victory in favor of the plaintiff. The suit was filed against the pharmaceutical giant after 84-year-old Betty Knight died because of gastrointestinal bleeding occurred while she was on Pradaxa.

BIPI had previously asserted that Pradaxa is safe enough to use without regular monitoring of blood plasma levels, which is highly recommended when using many other anticoagulants. The Plaintiff’s attorneys in this particular case, however, argued that this is not true; while Pradaxa has proven itself to be an effective blood-thinner for some, other patients have faced uncontrollable bleeding or even death and could have adjusted or discontinued their use of Pradaxa if they’d been monitoring their blood plasma levels. The issues are so prevalent that there are nearly 3,000 Pradaxa cases currently pending in the United States as a result of complications that occurred while taking the drug. This includes wrongful death lawsuits, such as the 3-week trial resulted in BIPI being found liable of fraud in the sale and marketing of Pradaxa this past October in a West Virginia Federal Court.

This is not the first time that BIPI has misrepresented facts about their drugs to the public. Just last December, a $13.5 million settlement was reached as a result of BIPI’s off-label marketing and misleading representations in the promotions of four prescription drugs. The case included attorney generals from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a result of the settlement, BIPI is required to ensure that they are not unlawfully promoting its prescription drugs.

Such fraudulent behavior on behalf of a large pharmaceutical manufacturer is unacceptable by any measure; worse when the actions have resulted in a grievous injury or loss of life. Our law firm of Childers, Schlueter, & Smith is well-versed in drug and medical device litigation and might be able to help you or a family member who has taken Pradaxa for any period of time and possibly experienced ill-effects from the drug. If you have questions, please give us a call at 1-800-641-0098. All initial inquiries are free of charge and without obligation.