Pradaxa Lawsuits Come To A Halt After Judge Issues Stay As Attorneys Work Out Settlement
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) August 18, 2014 -- The attorneys at Wright & Schulte LLC note all matters within the Pradaxa lawsuit litigation were recently placed on hold while plaintiffs’ attorneys and Pradaxa manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim negotiated the terms of a master settlement agreement. U.S. Chief District Judge David R. Herndon has scheduled a status conference for August 26 on the Pradaxa litigation which is pending in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. (In re: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2385) In May, Judge Herndon issued a stay of proceedings on all aspects of the Pradaxa lawsuit litigation after Pradaxa manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim, announced that it would pay $650 million to settle approximately 4,000 Pradaxa lawsuits in state and federal courts. The complaints were filed on behalf of plaintiffs who allegedly suffered serious internal bleeding or death as a result of taking the Pradaxa blood thinner.
The firm is currently representing clients in litigation involving serious drug side effects and encourage anyone who believes they have suffered serious internal bleeding after using Pradaxa or other blood thinner to contact one of their experienced attorneys by calling 1-800-399-0795 or you can visit http://www.yourlegalhelp.com for more information. For all the current news on Pradaxa lawsuits and other drug side-effects like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Court records indicate that Judge Herndon originally issued an order in May to stay proceedings in the Pradaxa lawsuits until further notice while a court-appointed mediator and plaintiffs’ attorneys met with him and provided a “full and detailed report of the status of settlement negotiations and why the case has not yet settled.” A week later, the judge appointed a group of eight attorneys to serve on a negotiating committee and create settlement terms with Boehringer Ingelheim. On May 28, one day after Judge Herndon’s order, Boehringer Ingelheim issued a news release announcing its intent to settle the cases.
Pradaxa, also known by its generic name, dabigatran, was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in October 2010 to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythms) not caused by a heart valve problem. After Pradaxa was approved, the FDA received a number of complaints regarding bleeding among Pradaxa users and said in November 2012, that the agency would conduct an ongoing safety review of the issue. In May 2014, the FDA announced the completion of a new study comparing the newer drug Pradaxa to warfarin, (Coumadin) a blood thinner that has been on the market for 60 years. The study involved more than 134,000 Medicare patients, 65 years or older. The FDA study found that among new users, Pradaxa helped to lower the risk of clot-related strokes, bleeding in the brain, and death, but increased the risk of major gastrointestinal bleeding compared to warfarin.
[fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm396470.htm, May 13, 2014]
[fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm326580.htm, November 2, 2012]
More recent Pradaxa lawsuit news revealed an investigation conducted by The British Medical Journal (BMJ) discovered through documents made public through court proceedings, that Boehringer Ingelheim debated over whether to reveal to the FDA that regular monitoring and adjusting the dosage of Pradaxa would benefit patients taking Pradaxa. According to the BMJ, Boehringer Ingelheim believed acknowledging that patients need frequent monitoring could hurt the company’s FDA-approved marketing claims that Pradaxa is easy to use and does not require follow-up monitoring.
[bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4670, July 23, 2014]
Court documents indicate that all Pradaxa lawsuits filed in federal courts across the country were consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the Illinois federal court. The cases in the MDL include a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of a New York man who died suddenly on January 8, 2012, two months after he first started taking the blood thinner medication. According to the Pradaxa bleeding complaint, the man began taking the blood thinner on November 8, 2011 and used it until November 29, 2011. The Pradaxa bleeding complaint alleges that Boehringer Ingelheim claimed that the blood thinner was safe and effective to use but failed to warn physicians and emergency room doctors that Pradaxa has no antidote to stop bleeding, and therefore there is no effective means to treat and stabilize patients who experienced uncontrolled bleeding while taking Pradaxa.
About Wright & Schulte LLC
Wright & Schulte LLC, an experienced personal injury firm, is dedicated to the belief that America’s legal system should work for the people. Every day, the attorneys of Wright & Schulte LLC stand up for the rights of people who have been injured or wronged and fight tirelessly to ensure that even the world’s most powerful corporations take responsibility for their actions. If you or your loved one suffered serious internal bleeding or other related complications as a result of using Pradaxa, contact the law firm for a free, no-obligation legal consultation. If you’re looking for a law firm that will guarantee the aggressive and personal representation you deserve, please do not hesitate to contact Wright & Schulte LLC today through yourlegalhelp.com or by calling 1-800-399-0795.
Contact:
Wright & Schulte LLC
812 East National Road
Vandalia, Ohio 45377
1-800-399-0795
http://www.yourlegalhelp.com
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Richard Schulte, Wright & Schulte LLC, http://yourlegalhelp.com/, +1 1-800-399-0795, [email protected]
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