Product Liability Lawyer Blog
A recent article from Tech Times discusses the effects of a new reversal agent for the drug Pradaxa on patients suffering from a brain hemorrhage. It is important to note these are brain hemorrhages caused by the drug Pradaxa, which is a relatively new type of anticoagulant medication.
When patients take Pradaxa, we now know there is a significant risk they they will develop a serious internal bleeding disorder than includes possible intracranial bleeding, which is also known as brain hemorrhage. There is no known way to determine which patients will develop the serious bleeding disorder, as risk factors are not known in the event that there are any.
Until very recently, there was no reversal agent (antidote) for Pradaxa. This means that when thousands of patients ended up in the emergency room with serious internal bleeding disorders, there was nothing doctors could do to stop the bleeding and reverse the effects of this dangerous and defective drug. However, Boehringer Ingelheim, the maker of Pradaxa, has also created the antidote they are marketing as Praxbind.
Essentially, the drug company made a defective and dangerous medication that caused many people to become severely ill and in some cases die from internal bleeding, however in attempt to make sure sales were not harmed any more than absolutely necessary, they created an antidote for their own drug. However, they are now marking the antidote and trying to make a profit off it despite the fact it is only useful to treat problems created by another one of their products. This of course is the basis for the many Boston Pradaxa injury lawsuits.
A company spokesperson confirmed this by saying that here is hope that if patients are told there is an antidote to help them if they suffer internal bleeding after taking Pradaxa, more people will be willing to take the drug. This is in strict contrast to their earlier approach before Praxbind existed, when the company took great efforts to make sure doctors and patients were not aware of the risks associated with Pradaxa.
There are other competitors to Pradaxa, which are Xarelto, Savaysa, and Eliquis. These are all members of a new class of drugs known as new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). We have seen that the other NOACs are also capable of causing serious internal bleeding disorders, including intracranial bleeding, and the makers of Pradaxa hope they make money using Praxbind as a cure for bleeding disorders caused by these other drugs.
There is, of course, a conventional and long-accepted alternative to NOACs, and that is Wafarin (Coumadin). Warfarin is known to be highly effective at treating patients in need of a blood thinning medication, but these doses of Warfarin must be closely monitored to prevent another form of bleeding disorder. While this is a risk, there is known way to prevent that by having frequent blood tests and monitoring one’s diet. It is actually vitamin K that can affect how the drug is absorbed, so patients must be sure to avoid certain leafy green vegetables.
If you are a victim Pradaxa and live in Massachusetts, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
New Drug Reverses Effects Of Blood Thinner Pradaxa In Brain Hemorrhage Patients, February 22, 2016, Tech Times, By Dianne Depra
More Blog Entries:
Risk for Internal Bleeding after Taking Pradaxa, August 22, 2014, Boston Dangerous Drugs Injury Lawyer Blog