Serious Pradaxa Side Effects Linked to Blood Thinner

New research published in the Journal of Neurosurgery highlights potentially serious side effects of oral blood thinner Pradaxa (dabigatran). The first lawsuit has been filed against Pradaxa for possibly causing serious bleeding events and even deaths in patients. According to Fox News, worries have been exacerbated by the recent death of elderly man due to a brain hemorrhage after a routine fall. Pradaxa is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Doctors are increasingly worried that internal hemorrhaging in patients taking Pardaxa could be irreversible

Pradaxa is part of a new class of drugs called direct thrombin inhibitors, designed to prevent strokes and death among patients with irregular heartbeats called atrial fibrillation. Pradaxa was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010. So far, worries about Pradaxa have caused Japan and Australia to publish safety advisories and forced Europe and the United States to change labeling on the drug. There have been reports of many serious complications from Japan and New Zealand, including multiple deaths.

Doctors are increasingly worried that internal hemorrhaging in patients taking Pardaxa could be irreversible, as we do not yet have an effective reversal agent. This poses potentially large risks for fall-prone elderly patients, as small incidents could become potentially deadly. Previous stroke-prevention treatments included platelet function inhibitors (aspirin and clopidogrel) and vitamin K blockade with warfarin, but Pradaxa has proven to be more effective than these remedies.

Federal regulators are reviewing the possible negative complications associated with Pradaxa, but advise that patients should continue to take the drug for now. If you or a loved one suffered a Pradaxa bleeding complication while taking the medication, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.