Pradaxa Lawsuits Move Forward, as Federal Judge Considers New Sanctions Against Boehringer, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 24, 2013 -- Thousands of Pradaxa lawsuits (http://www.pradaxalawsuithelp.com/ ) continue to move forward in a federal multidistrict litigation underway in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. According to an Order issued on December 18, 2013, U.S. District Judge David R. Herndon is considering new sanction against defendant, Boehringer Ingelheim, and suggested that the company acted “unreasonably, negligently, willfully, and in bad faith,” in regards to certain evidence it now says it is unable to provide in accordance with an earlier directive from the Court. According to Judge Herndon’s Order, the sanctions will be determined once Bellwether Discovery has ended in the Pradaxa litigation, and could affect a number of aspects, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s ability to use certain affirmative defenses. (In Re: Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation – MDL No. 2385)
“We are watching the Pradaxa litigation very closely, as we continue to investigate claims on behalf of alleged victims of the drug’s bleeding side effects. The final decision on these sanctions could have a significant impact on the outcome of Pradaxa lawsuits,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free Pradaxa lawsuit evaluations to individuals who suffered serious internal bleeding while using this medication.
Pradaxa Lawsuits
Court documents indicate that just over 2,000 Pradaxa lawsuits have been filed in the Southern District of Illinois. All of the claims allege that Boehringer Ingelheim failed to provide adequate warnings regarding the risk of Pradaxa bleeding side effects, as well as the lack of an effective antidote for such an occurrence. The litigation’s first bellwether trial is scheduled to begin in August 2014.
According to court records, Judge Herndon has already sanctioned Boehringer Ingelheim once before for failing to preserve numerous documents sought by plaintiffs with cases pending in the proceeding. According to an Order dated December 9th, the company was fined $931,000 after Judge Herndon determined that the steps it had taken to preserve the documents in question were “grossly inadequate” and that the company had “made misrepresentations” regarding its efforts.
Pradaxa is a blood thinner that was brought to market in October 2010, and is used to prevent strokes in people with atrial fibrillation. According to Pradaxa lawsuits, the medication was marketed as a superior alternative to warfarin, a blood thinner that has been in use for decades. However, these claims point out that while the internal bleeding that is sometimes associated with warfarin can be stopped via the administration of vitamin K, there is no readily-available antidote for similar occurrences related to the use of Pradaxa.
A study released in October by the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices revealed that in 2012, Pradaxa had been named in more adverse event reports than any other drug monitored by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The 3,200 reports of Pradaxa side effects received that year included 582 that involved a patient death. By contrast, warfarin was the subject of just 861 FDA adverse reports that included 56 deaths.*
Alleged victims of Pradaxa bleeding side effects may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other injury-related damages. To learn more please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website. For a free case review, please call 800-511-5092.
*ismp.org/QuarterWatch/pdfs/2012Q4.pdf, ISMP, October 17, 2013
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country, for the past 11 consecutive years.
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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2013 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.pradaxalawsuithelp.com/
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Felecia L. Stern, Pradaxa Lawsuit Information Center, http://www.pradaxalawsuithelp.com/, +1 800-511-5092, [email protected]
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