German 'pharma' company pays 650 millions is settlement

When it comes to large pharmaceutical businesses, income figures are most of the time huge. But the same thing can happen when a common lawsuit is brought to a settlement, as Boehringer Ingelheim found out.

The German pharmaceutical maker confirmed it has agreed to pay 650 million US dollars to settle about 4,000 lawsuits all tied up to its Pradaxa drug. The medicine is used for blood-thinning and it was linked to hundreds of accidental deaths.

“Boehringer Ingelheim announced that the company has reached a comprehensive settlement of state and federal cases in the US litigation regarding Pradaxa,” was the official statement released by the company. However, the Germans also said they continue to stand by their drug which is used to prevent blood clots and stroke.

Pradaxa has been blamed for in excess of 450 deaths in the US caused by uncontrolled bleeding. “The settlement enables Boehringer Ingelheim to focus solely on its mission of improving patients' lives. The settlement was approximately 470 million euros,” was also written in the statement.