Over the years, Pradaxa research has been mixed, but two recent studies indicate that a patient’s use of Pradaxa increases the risk of suffering a heart attack. One study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that Pradaxa increased the risk of heart attack by 48%. Worse yet, they found there were over 4,000 bleeding events and 638 fatalities linked to Pradaxa (compared to a little over 800 bleeding events and 44 fatalities attributed to Warfarin).

Another study presented at the 2013 Congress of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis in Amsterdam found that the side effects of Pradaxa may increase the risk of heart attack by up to 70% compared to placebos. The findings were based on a meta-analysis of 10 studies that involved more than 23,000 Pradaxa patients. Of these patients, 292 had heart attacks, which was 1.23% of the population. The risk increased with the dosage, the study also determined.  “Health care professionals and regulators should consider appropriate strategy to prevent such serious adverse drug reactions,” researchers concluded.

When Pradaxa (dabigatran) first came out, it was marketed as a superior alternative to Warfarin (Coumadin) because it required less monitoring. However, there have been reports of heart attack, as well as uncontrollable rectal, brain and gastrointestinal bleeding. At least 650 lawsuits have been filed against Pradaxa’s manufacturer, with thousands more patients expected to join the MDL. So far, U.S. District Court Judge David Herndon has bumped up the bellwether trials from August 2014 to March 2014. While the progress and research are encouraging, some people cannot wait that long for financial compensation when there are mounting medical bills to pay, not to mention the inability to earn wages.