Burg Simpson is not currently pursuing new Pradaxa® cases.
Burg Simpson and Seth A. Katz are pleased to announce that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its related companies agreed to pay $650M to settle nearly 4,000 claims brought on behalf of individuals who were injured after taking Pradaxa®.
PRADAXA® MDL RESULTS IN $650M GLOBAL SETTLEMENT
In May of 2014, Seth A. Katz and Burg Simpson led the Multidistrict Litigation against the manufacturer of Pradaxa® to a successful resolution through a global settlement in which Boehringer Ingleheim paid $650,000,000 to settle approximately 4,500 claims by users of Pradaxa®. The litigation and settlement included a substantial number of wrongful death claims.
Claims against Boehringer Ingleheim, the manufacturer of Pradaxa®, alleged that the drug caused uncontrollable bleeding, causing injuries and death. Pradaxa® is in a class of drugs known as Novel Oral Anti-Coagulants and was approved by the FDA in October of 2010. Pradaxa® was promoted as an alternative to Warfarin (Coumadin) that did not require routing blood monitoring and did not require patients to avoid certain foods that interfere with older anti-coagulants.
In September of 2012, Seth A. Katz was appointed by the Hon. David R. Herndon, U.S. District Court Chief Judge for the Southern District of Illinois, to serve as Co-Lead Counsel in the MDL. The MDL was formed in August of 2012 and the litigation was hard fought at every stage. Burg Simpson was one of a very small number of law firms that led this litigation in every aspect of discovery.
The Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee reviewed tens of millions of pages of documents produced by Boehringer and conducted approximately 50 depositions of current and former Boehringer employees both in the U.S. and in Europe. As Co-Lead Counsel of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, Mr. Katz conducted or participated in approximately half of the depositions. Additionally, the PSC was successful in bringing two sanctions motions against Boehringer for violations of the discovery process, one of which resulted in a fine of close to $1,000,000, which was affirmed by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Read the full story here.
BLOOD THINNER PRADAXA® & POTENTIALLY FATAL SIDE EFFECTS
Concern surrounding the safety of Pradaxa® has been growing for some time. In December 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Pradaxa® Safety Announcement, in which the agency confirmed that is was evaluating post-marketing reports of serious bleeding events in patients taking Pradaxa®.
The makers of Pradaxa® are heavily promoting their latest drug as the new and improved alternative to Warfarin—the standard front line therapy for Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) for more than 50 years. Pradaxa® has no known reversal agent. This stands in stark contrast to Warfarin, which can be reversed in the event of an emergency or bleeding event.
Read the FDA Safety Announcement regarding Pradaxa®.
PRADAXA® SIDE EFFECTS
Pradaxa® has been linked to excessive bleeding that can be serious or fatal. Signs or symptoms of serious bleeding may include:
Bleeding that is severe or uncontrollable
Bruises that happen without a known cause or that get larger
Coughing up blood or blood clots
Menstrual or vaginal bleeding that is heavier than normal
Nose bleeding
Pink or brown urine
Red or black stools (looks like tar)
Unusual bleeding from the gums
Vomiting blood or vomit that looks like coffee grounds
