Quoted from http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/12/boehringer-pradaxa-idUSL5E7MC09K20111112
Boehringer says about 260 deaths related to Pradaxa
FRANKFURT | Sat Nov 12, 2011 8:06am EST
FRANKFURT Nov 12 (Reuters) - Boehringer Ingelheim said that 260 cases of fatal bleeding have been linked to its new stroke prevention pill Pradaxa so far, adding that the risk of death was still below the rate that emerged in the clinical trial that led to the drug's approval.
In early November, the German drugmaker had said that 50 reported deaths were a "reasonable order of magnitude".
The company on Saturday confirmed in a statement the new global number more than five times higher than the previous one, initially reported by magazines Der Spiegel and Die Zeit.
Like other anti-blood-clotting treatments, Pradaxa's benefit of cutting the rate of fatal or debilitating strokes comes at the risk of internal bleeding, which can also cost lives.
Unlisted Boehringer also said there have been fewer cases of fatal side effects linked to Pradaxa than what would have been expected if they had been treated by the standard drug warfarin, which Boehringer is trying to replace.