Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, a German drug manufacturer, has agreed to a $650 million settlement in the multidistrict litigation involving the drug Pradaxa. The settlement is expected to resolve most, if not all, of the 4,000 claims against the company, paying out an average of $162,500 per case.
In a statement released by the company, Desiree Ralls-Morrison, senior vice president and general counsel of Boehringer Ingelheim USA, said “BI stands resolurtely behind Pradaxa and believed from the outset that the plaintiffs’ claims lacked merit. Nortwithstanding out strong belief that we would prevail in these lawsuits, this settlement allows BI to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of lengthy litigation and focus on our mission of improving patients’ lives.”
Pradaxa was introduced in 2010 and marketed as a safer alternative to warfarin to treat ischemic strokes caused by atrial fibrillation. In May 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Safety Communication based on a Medicaid study that compared Pradaxa and warfarin. The Medicaid study showed that Pradaxa involved an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Elderly patients taking Pradaxa were found to die more often due to the side effects. Unlike other anticoagulant medications, there is no known antidote for Pradaxa.
The Ohio pharmaceutical injury attorneys at Clark, Perdue & List have successfully represented hundreds of individuals who have suffered injury or death as a result of dangerous drugs, including Pradaxa.