Chaffin Luhana LLP Alerts Patients to Potential Consolidation of Pradaxa Lawsuits

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New York, New York (PRWEB) June 27, 2012

Chaffin Luhana LLP, a national plaintiffs-only law firm, alerts individuals with heart disease to the fact that federal lawsuits against Pradaxa manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals may soon be consolidated for pretrial purposes before a single federal court. Plaintiffs who have allegedly suffered a Pradaxa side effects injury such as severe bleeding and hemorrhaging and even death may be eligible to pursue a Pradaxa lawsuit. Those cases that are already proceeding in federal courts around the nation share many similarities, which would make consolidation suitable for increasing efficiency and decreasing the risk of duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings.

The FDA approved Pradaxa in October 2010 for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The drug is an anti-coagulant (blood thinner) that reduces the risk of blood clots and stroke. On December 7, 2011, however, the FDA announced that it was looking into post-marketing reports of severe Pradaxa side effects, including dangerous bleeding, to determine whether these effects are occurring more commonly than would be expected. Though all anti-coagulant medications carry a risk of serious bleeding, reports and studies indicate that the risk may be higher with Pradaxa than with the established blood-thinning drug, warfarin. In addition, unlike warfarin bleeding, which can be reversed with vitamin K injections, Pradaxa bleeding has no readily available antidote, making the risks more serious and potentially deadly.

Plaintiff Vera Lee Sellers filed a Pradaxa lawsuit in the Southern District of Illinois, East Saint Louis division (Case No. 3:12-cv-00615) on May 14, 2012. Represented by her Pradaxa lawyer, she moved the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) for an order transferring the currently filed cases, as well as any future "tag along" cases, to the same Illinois court for consolidated pretrial proceedings. In her motion, Sellers notes that transfer is necessary because 1) each Pradaxa lawsuit makes numerous claims against Boehringer Ingelheim, including failure to warn and design defect claims, 2) there are currently 21 actions pending in 12 district courts with similar claims, with more than 500 additional complaints anticipated to be filed in the future, 3) each case involves similar questions of fact and law, 4) discovery will be similar, and 5) no discovery has started yet in any of the actions.

In response, the JPML has added consideration of the motion to the agenda for their July 26, 2012 hearing session. In the meantime, those patients who have suffered a Pradaxa injury are encouraged to report it to the FDA. In the last three months of 2011 alone, the agency received 3,000 such reports, with nearly 500 Pradaxa deaths reported. Centralizing each Pradaxa lawsuit into one court will likely help expedite discovery, reduce costs for all parties involved, and increase convenience for witnesses and both parties.

Chaffin Luhana LLP has a long and successful history of protecting the rights of patients affected by defective drugs and medical devices. Partners Eric Chaffin and Roopal Luhana have represented high-profile cases in federal and state courts across the country. Though unable to guarantee results, the firm has a distinguished track record of success and is highly committed to each case.

If you or a loved one has suffered a Pradaxa injury, contact a Pradaxa lawyer at Chaffin Luhana LLP for a free and confidential case review at 1-888-480-1123, or visit their website at chaffinluhana.com. A Pradaxa lawsuit may be able to help recover damages and ease the financial challenges of medical treatment.

CONTACT
Eric T. Chaffin, Esq.
CHAFFIN LUHANA LLP
600 Third Ave.
12th Floor
New York, New York 10016                                                                                                                                                        
Toll Free Telephone: (888) 480-1123
Toll Free Fax: (888) 499-1123

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