Pradaxa Bleeding Allegations Alert: Resource4thePeople Announces Continuation of No-Cost Consultations for Consumers in 2014
San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 24, 2014 -- http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/pradaxa-lawsuits.html
Resource4thePeople announced today that its national network of attorneys will continue to offer free consultations in 2014 to consumers who are seeking compensation in connection with allegations that the popular blood-thinner Pradaxa may cause bleeding problems.
These allegations are contained in the court files* of federal lawsuits from across the country that have been consolidated before a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois because they share common allegations that the medication may cause irreversible internal bleeding problems.
The announcement of the continuation of the no-cost consultations was made after numerous inquiries were received from consumers about whether Resource4thePeople's national network of attorneys would, after 2013, continue to offer them in connection with Pradaxa bleeding allegations.
“The increase in the number of consumers inquiring about issues raised in the Pradaxa federal multidistrict litigation and other lawsuits demonstrates that there are great numbers of affected consumers seeking experienced, aggressive legal help,” said Resource4thePeople.
Resource4thePeople said that eligible consumers will be provided information about what legal options they may have to seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and other costs in connection with expenses they have incurred in connection with the allegations.
"However, each case is different and there may be legal time limits involved and consumers are advised to contact us as soon as possible in order to preserve all of their legal options," said Resource4thePeople.
Resource4thePeople also announced it will continue to provide consumers updates about the multidistrict litigation* that has been assigned to U.S. District Court Judge David R. Herndon.
Recent figures** provided by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation show that there are now nearly 1,900 such Pradaxa lawsuits being overseen by the judge.
Judge Herndon is overseeing pre-trial evidence gathering and other legal matters in connection with these cases. The court file in the multidistrict litigation* includes a summation of the Pradaxa allegations:
“All the actions share common factual questions arising out of allegations that plaintiffs suffered severe bleeding or other injuries as a result of taking the drug Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) and that defendants did not adequately warn prescribing physicians of the risks associated with Pradaxa, including the potential for severe or fatal bleeding, and that there is no reversal agent to counteract the Pradaxa’s anticoagulation effects.”
Resource4thePeople also notes an independent, non-profit*** monitoring medical safety on Oct. 17, 2013 posted figures that showed that the FDA received more reports about side effects about Pradaxa than any other drug the FDA monitors.
The Institute for Safe Medical Practices in its QuarterWatch said that 3,292 reports warning of adverse events, including 582 deaths, were filed over Pradaxa (dabigatran) in 2012.
"For a second straight year, dabigatran and warfarin are the most frequently named suspect drugs in direct reports to the FDA.," the authors of the report wrote.
"QuarterWatch has reported on the risks of anticoagulants previously and judged them to be one of the most dangerous of all outpatient drug treatments. The same property that allows anticoagulants to reduce the risk of strokes and blood clots elsewhere in the body leads to high risks for hemorrhage and other bleeding. The result is tens of thousands of emergency room visits or hospitalizations each year."
Resource4thePeople also notes that other cases continue to be filed in state courts across the country, including five recent cases**** filed in Illinois where plaintiffs are claiming that relatives either died or suffered serious bleeding problems from the use of Pradaxa.
The Madison-St. Clair Record reported***** Sept. 26, 2013 that "Some of the plaintiffs claim their relatives died within months of taking Pradaxa, while others claim chronic bleeding caused by the drug required them to be given blood transfusions to prevent their deaths."
In another Pradaxa development, the recently published findings of a trial that was conducted to determine whether Pradaxa (dabigatran) is an effective alternative to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation was terminated because of a high number of bleeding incidents attributed to Pradaxa.
The results of the study****** were published in the Sept. 1, 2013 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and involved hundreds of patients with mechanical heart valves who were tested in comparisons of the two popular anticoagulants.
The anticoagulant trial was terminated prematurely after the enrollment of 252 patients because of an excess of thromboembolic and bleeding events among patients in the dabigatran group, according to the published findings.
The researchers reached the following conclusion:
"The use of dabigatran in patients with mechanical heart valves was associated with increased rates of thromboembolic and bleeding complications, as compared with warfarin, thus showing no benefit and an excess risk."
Bloomberg News, in a Dec. 11, 2012 posting, reported******* that Pradaxa “has been linked to more than 500 U.S. deaths over a two-year period.”
Bloomberg also reported that “Concerns about Pradaxa’s safety surfaced soon after U.S. doctors began prescribing it. FDA officials said they received reports of 542 deaths and 3,781 side-effect incidents tied to the drug in 2011."
Sources:
*IN RE: Pradaxa Product Liability Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois, MDL No. 2385
**http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_District-December-16-2013.pdf
***http://www.ismp.org/QuarterWatch/pdfs/2012Q4.pdf
**** Case #s 13-L-469, 13-L-470, 13-L-467, 13-L-468, 13-L-466, St. Clair County Circuit Court, Ill.
***** http://madisonrecord.com/issues/895-product-liability/259488-five-pradaxa-suits-filed-in-st-clair-county#
****** http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1300615
******* http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-11/boehringer-sued-by-hundreds-over-bleeding-tied-to-pradaxa.html
Bill Callahan, iLawSuit, +1 858 602-2749, [email protected]
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