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Lawyer Blog: Baltimore, MD

Arguments Heard Regarding Formation of MDL on Pradaxa Lawsuits

Maryland Pradaxa LawsuitAs reported by The Legal Examiner, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) heard oral arguments on July 26 regarding the formation of the Pradaxa MDL, or multidistrict litigation. The hearing was held at Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland, OH. Multidistrict litigation is common in complex pharmaceutical litigation where a large number of cases are brought forward involving similar allegations of facts. Essentially, an MDL is a consolidation, or grouping of, injury cases, and the cases would be handled in a coordinated manner but each lawsuit remains an individual case.

Once an MDL is approved, federal courts with cases will transfer their cases automatically to the MDL court before one judge who will manage all cases as one case. The coordinated portion of pretrial proceedings is designed to reduce duplicate discovery, avoid inconsistent pretrial ruling from various judges, and to serve the convenience of the parties involved and the courts.

As part of the Pradaxa MDL consolidation, 48 Pradaxa side effect lawsuits have been filed in federal courts across the U.S. Pradaxa was introduced in October 2010 by Boehringer Ingelheim as an alternative to Coumadin used for the prevention of stroke in patients with non valvular atrial fibrillation. However, during the first full year the medication was available in the U.S., there were more reports of Pradaxa bleeding problems than were associated with any other medicine.

During 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received at least 2,367 reports of hemorrhage and 524 patient deaths involving Pradaxa. Overall, an estimated 1.1 million prescriptions were dispensed for this drug in the United States from October 2010 to August 2011.

A defective drug can have detrimental effects on the health of an innocent patient, and when a person suffers undue harm as a result of a manufacturer’s negligence, he or she deserves compensation in order to help in recovery. Baltimore Pradaxa injury attorney Steven H. Heisler, “The Injury Lawyer,” understands the serious impact a defective drug can have on a person’s wellbeing and is committed to holding negligent manufacturers legally accountable. For a free consultation on your case, please call (877) 228-4878.