Pradaxa, manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. is an anticoagulant prescribed to prevent blood clots and reduce the risk of stroke. The drug which was approved by FDA in 2010, allegedly caused serious injuries like internal bleeding in several patients. Some reports indicate Pradaxa use led to gastrointestinal bleeding, heart attack, stroke, brain hemorrhage, kidney bleeding, and death.
In 2014, the drug maker agreed to settle more than 4,100 lawsuits for $650 million. More than 2,400 lawsuits, filed after that settlement, are pending in the state court against Boehringer Ingelheim. The first two trials held in March 2018 and May 2018 concluded verdicts in favor of the defendants. The next set of trials are slated to begin in September 2018 and February 2019.
In December 2017, Judge Herndon recommended termination of Pradaxa multidistrict litigation (MDL 2385; In Re: Pradaxa |LS|Dabigatran Etexilate|RS| Products Liability Litigation), which was formed in 2012 in the Southern District of Illinois.
