Baltimore Drug Injury Lawyer Says Report Underscores Concerns about Pradaxa Side Effects

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Baltimore drug injury lawyer Robert K. Jenner

A patient taking Pradaxa needs to know about these risks so they can recognize them immediately and contact a doctor right away.

Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) June 26, 2012

Baltimore drug injury lawyer Robert K. Jenner says the latest edition of QuarterWatch reinforces widespread concerns about serious health risks linked to the prescription blood thinner, Pradaxa.

“A patient taking Pradaxa needs to know about these risks so they can recognize them immediately and contact a doctor right away,” said Jenner, the head of the Mass Torts Division of the Baltimore personal injury firm of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC.

“It’s also important to contact an attorney with experience in investigating drug injury cases in order to review your situation and determine your legal rights and options.”

QuarterWatch is published by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), which describes itself as “a nonprofit organization educating the healthcare community and consumers about safe medication practices.”

In QuarterWatch, the ISMP said it analyzed 179,855 reports of serious, disabling and fatal adverse drug events in the U.S. that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received in 2011 (marking 15,386 more reports than received in 2010). The analysis included manufacturer reports to the FDA as well as direct reports from patients and medical professionals.

Pradaxa (dabigatran) is an anti-coagulant that the FDA approved in October 2010 for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. The ISMP found that Pradaxa was the subject of 3,781 manufacturer and direct reports in 2011.

“It surpassed all other regularly monitored drugs in reports of hemorrhage (2,367 cases), acute renal failure (291), and stroke (644),” the ISMP said. “It was also suspect in 15 cases of liver failure.”

Coumadin (warfarin), a generic anti-coagulant drug on the market since 1954, accounted for 1,106 reports overall, the ISMP said.

According to the ISMP, the two drugs ranked first and second among all direct reports to the FDA in 2011. This demonstrates that treatment involving dabigatran and warfarin “is accompanied by substantial risks,” the ISMP said.

Jenner pointed out that, in December 2011, the FDA announced that it was conducting a safety review of Pradaxa, including evaluating reports of serious and fatal uncontrolled internal bleeding among patients prescribed the Boehringer Ingelheim-manufactured blood thinner.

“Our law firm will continue to conduct our own review of reports of Pradaxa side effects and complications from across the country,” said Jenner, whose firm’s Mass Torts Division features a team of attorneys, paralegals and healthcare professionals. “And we’ll continue to stand up for the legal rights of patients and consumers.”

About Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC

The law firm of Janet, Jenner & Suggs, LLC, is a nationally recognized law firm dedicated to representing victims of defective products, medical devices, prescription drugs and medical malpractice. Each of the firm’s principals is named in The Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers®. The firm has offices in Baltimore, Maryland (Commerce Centre East, 1777 Reisterstown Road, Suite 165, Baltimore, MD 21208; local phone number (410) 653-3200); Columbia, South Carolina; and Asheville, North Carolina. The firm accepts clients and referrals from clients and attorneys throughout the country. For more information about Pradaxa, contact the firm at (888) 463-3529 or through the firm’s Pradaxa website.

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