Tampa, FL (PRWEB) December 20, 2012
The number of lawsuits filed on behalf of Pradaxa users has risen from approximately 100 to 151, according to a new report from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML)*. The suits are alleging that patients were not adequately warned that Pradaxa lacks an antidote to reverse its anticlotting effects, and that this could result in potentially life-threatening consequences.**
We have already spoken with dozens of Pradaxa users who claim the drug caused severe bleeds, said Michael Goetz, head of Morgan & Morgans mass tort section. As more people become aware of the pending litigation, I believe that the number of lawsuits filed will continue to increase.
Due to the number of lawsuits expected, all federally-filed cases involving the blood thinner have been consolidated before the Honorable Judge David R. Herndon of the Southern District of Illinois. In its order, the JPML found that consolidation was appropriate because each of the cases share common factual questions arising out of allegations that plaintiffs suffered severe bleeding or other injuries as a result of taking the drug Pradaxa.
While all anticoagulants carry a risk of serious and life-threatening bleeds, patients and doctors have raised concerns that a potentially dangerous drug was sold without an antidote, according to a Nov. 3 [New York Times article. The effects of decades-old blood thinner Coumadin can be reversed with Vitamin K; however, no such antidote exists for Pradaxa, the Times reports. Without a reversal agent, trauma professionals have been left without an effective way to treat and stabilize patients who experience uncontrollable or excessive bleeding while taking Pradaxa, according to a brief in support of the suits consolidation. Although the Times reported that the manufacturer recommends that bleeding Pradaxa users be treated with dialysis, the publication reportedly spoke to several physicians who said this option was unrealistic.
In Dec. 2011, the FDA announced that it would be initiating a safety review of Pradaxa after receiving a number of reports of serious bleeds in users of the drug. The agency has since updated its safety communication, stating that the results of its assessment indicated that bleeding rates associated with new use of Pradaxa do not appear to be higher than bleeding rates associated with new use of warfarin. The agency failed to address the lack of an antidote for Pradaxa in its announcement, according to the Times.
The Pradaxa lawyers at Morgan & Morgan continue to investigate potential claims on behalf of patients who suffered gastrointestinal bleeds, brain hemorrhaging and other types of bleeding while taking Pradaxa. For more information and a free online case evaluation, please visit http://www.forthepeople.com/pradaxa-bleeding-lawsuits–11-4104.html today.
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest exclusively plaintiffs law firms in the country with 15 offices throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and New York. The firm handles cases nationally involving personal injury, medical malpractice, consumer class action, and securities fraud, as well as complex litigation against drug and medical device manufacturers. Visit Morgan & Morgan online at http://www.forthepeople.com/ for a free case evaluation and information about your legal rights.
*jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets-By-District-November-2012.pdf
** MDL No. 2385, IN RE: Pradaxa Product Liability Litigation, Southern District of Illinois
fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm326580.htm
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