German drug manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim has agreed to pay more than 4,000 plaintiffs a total of $650 million in damages stemming from dangerous side effects of its blood-thinning drug Pradaxa.

Boehringer has been accused of knowing that Pradaxa users were at risk of often fatal gastrointestinal hemorrhaging events and that there was no known antidote to stop the bleeding. Plaintiffs allege the company did not offer adequate warning of these risks.

The settlement comes only days after Boehringer admitted a company-funded study uncovered 22 serious bleeding events that were not included in the original report that helped launch Pradaxa into the marketplace in October 2010.

The thousands of lawsuits against Boehringer claim the risks of GI bleeding events were well known by the company as far back as when it became available to consumers, also in October 2010.

General counsel for the drugmaker issued a statement noting Boehringer stands resolutely behind Pradaxa, and believe from the beginning that plaintiffs claims were unsubstantiated.

Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pradaxa for stroke prevention, reports of adverse events associated with the drug came quickly after. By 2011, FDA officials said they received reports of 542 deaths and 3,781 side-effect incidents linked to Pradaxa use.

Boehringers settlement total will be split between the 4,000 plaintiffs, equating to approximately $162,500 per case.

Currently, 2,500 cases have been consolidated by U.S. District Court Judge David Herndon to be heard in East St. Louis, IL. An additional 1,500 cases are pending in state courts throughout California, Connecticut, Delaware and Illinois.

If you suffered an injury or lost a loved one due to a defective or dangerous drug, contact our personal injury attorneys in Tulsa right now.

Source: Bloomberg News, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-28/boehringer-pays-650-million-to-end-blood-thinner-cases.html, May 28, 2014