Boehringer Ingelheim has reached an agreement in principle to settle some 2,935 lawsuits tied to its blood thinner Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate).
In a Connecticut Supreme Court filing, privately owned Boehringer (Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany) stated the settlement would resolve the lawsuits, which alleged the anticoagulant drug Pradaxa caused undisclosed bleeding risks.
The company expects it will take six to nine months to know if plaintiffs will accept the settlement.
Boehringer asked for a stay in two cases until the parties in those cases either accept or reject the finalized settlement.
Plaintiffs have filed 2,865 of the lawsuits in the Judicial District of Hartford as part of a complex litigation docket.
In related news, Boehringer has asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to stay its appeal of another Pradaxa lawsuit that concluded with a $1.25 million jury award.
In the years that followed FDA approval of Pradaxa, plaintiffs have filed thousands of liability lawsuits against Boehringer.
Pradaxa is a newer alternative to traditional blood thinners, such as warfarin. Competitors include Xarelto from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Eliquis, which Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) have jointly marketed. Such blood thinners can reduce the risk of stroke for patients with atrial fibrillation. FDA approved the drug in 2010.
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