Pradaxa Litigation Set for Settlement

Pradaxa, an anticoagulant prescribed to lower stroke risk among those suffering from a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation, was approved for use in the United States by the FDA in October, 2010.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and its affiliated companies, and the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee appointed by a federal judge to coordinate litigation involving Pradaxa in In Re Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2385, today negotiated a settlement program to resolve the claims of approximately 4,000 Pradaxa users who claimed to have been injured by the drug.

Pradaxa, an anticoagulant prescribed to lower stroke risk among those suffering from a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation, was approved for use in the United States by the FDA in October, 2010. Approximately 1,600 individuals have filed lawsuits in state and federal courts in the United States, alleging they suffered bleeding events caused by Pradaxa. In August 2012, the federal court claims were consolidated in a multi-district litigation before Hon. David. R. Herndon. Likewise, consolidated state proceedings exist in Connecticut, California, Delaware and Missouri. Lawyers across these different jurisdictions worked cooperatively together to litigate the case.

Roger Denton, of St. Louis, Missouri, Tor Hoerman of Chicago, Illinois, Seth Katz, of Denver, Colorado, Michael London of New York, New York, and Mikal Watts, of San Antonio, Texas, served as Co-Lead Counsel for Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee.

The company will pay $650 million to fund the payments called for in today’s settlement.

Mikal Watts, appointed by Chief Judge Herndon as Co-Lead counsel for all the Plaintiffs, and also a member of the 27-lawyer Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, said, “We are pleased that today’s settlement will bring justice and financial assistance to those hurt while taking Pradaxa. We are proud of the settlement we have achieved, congratulate the company on doing the right thing, and look forward to distributing these funds to our clients as expeditiously as possible.”

The trial lawyers of Watts Guerra LLP have led the Pradaxa litigation from start to finish, filing the first federal injury and death cases in the country, moving to consolidate the federal litigation, and leading the way to resolution for all affected parties. In addition to resolving the litigation for the entire pool of plaintiffs, Watts’ firm represents the largest number of Pradaxa injury and wrongful death claimants in the United States.