Pradaxa’s Manufacturer Misled the FDA about Blood Thinner
http://www.ringoffireradio.com/2014/05/pradaxas-manufacturer-lied-fda-blood-thinner/
From the article:
The dangers associated with Boehringer Ingelheim’s drug Pradaxa are not to be understated. Without an antidote, a miscalculation or error in dosage can have extremely dangerous, life-threatening effects. The drug’s manufacturer knew that the drug carried with it very serious dangers but chose to minimize and obfuscate the dangers to improve the drug’s marketability.
Thousands of individuals have filed lawsuits against Boehringer Ingelheim alleging to have been injured by the drug. Injuries associated with the drug include bleeding, stroke, and even death.
How many patients and doctors are unaware or dismissing the dangers of a “blood thinner” that has no ANTIDOTE .. granted Pradaxa’s has one possible antidote – DIALYSIS as opposed to the other two non-warfarin “blood thinners” have NO ANTIDOTE.. PERIOD !
Is the “convenience” of no blood tests – as required by warfarin therapy – out weighs the serious risks of bleeds … possibly debilitating or fatal ?
Filed under: General Problems
Honestly? All of them.
I remember when this drug came out. I was still in school, doing a hospital rotation. The company sent two reps to talk to the associate director of pharmacy who had tasked me with digging up the dirt on Pradaxa. I still believe I got an A in that rotation because I was a complete bulldog during the dog and pony show the reps provided.
No antidote except dialysis.
For elective surgeries, convert the patient back to warfarin so that if anything goes wrong, some Vitamin K can fix things. Oh, and then convert them back to Pradaxa afterwards because it is so convenient (?). And the money the company will make.
Let’s not even start talking about how dosing should be based on kidney function. ‘But no tests are required the doctors,’ yell! Read the damn insert and stop prescribing this crap to people with one kidney and ESRD.
And don’t forget that you have to dispense in the original container because the drug tends to break down in the presence of water. Because of this quirk (and I am looking at you, too, Effient) my computer system will not allow me to break a box. It’s all or nothing, my friend. I know, I know, you were just discharged from the hospital with a prescription for Pradaxa from a doctor that only saw you on the way out, who’s name I can’t even read and who does not believe in Prior Authorizations. I can’t sell you even 2 pills. Sure, I can take a leap of faith and give you 2 on the sly, in the hopes that the cardiologist you plan on seeing Monday will prescribe the same thing and do the PA and send all of it to my pharmacy. But that is a lot of trust and a lot of money down the toilet if you take advantage of me.
Any wonder that during this rant the computer keeps trying to change ‘Pradaxa’ to ‘paradox’?