The Dangers of Pradaxa (Dabigatran) Part 2 of 3: Serious Cerebral and Cardiovascular Risks

By Independent Staff Writer

Some experts feel that the German pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim, rushed their new wonder drug, Pradaxa to the market perhaps a bit too quickly in an attempt to beat the competitors to the mark. Pradaxa subsequently became the first drug to rival Warfarin in over half a century. Boehringer announced that Pradaxa was as much as 35% more efficient in decreasing the risk of serious stroke than Warfarin, and in less than a year there were over a million prescriptions issued for the drug to over 400,000 patients hoping to avoid the negative aspects of Warfarin.

Pradaxa (Dabigatran) Lawsuits

By Independent Staff Writer

March of 2012 saw the first lawsuits filed against Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer of Pradaxa. This drug was the first of its type to be marketed in over half a century, and Boehringer had high hopes that Pradaxa would knock its only competitor, Warfarin, out of the running in short order. Pradaxa works differently from Warfarin; while both drugs are used to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, Warfarin works by inhibiting the production of Vitamin K, a clotting agent in the body. Should there be excessive bleeding in a patient who has taken Warfarin, doses of Vitamin K can be administered to slow the bleeding. Pradaxa, on the other hand, works by inhibiting thrombin, an enzyme in the blood which also controls blood clotting. At this time there is no known antidote to Pradaxa in the event it leads to excessive or uncontrollable bleeding.