Smith v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

886 F. Supp. 2d 911, 2012 WL 3573896, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103646
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Illinois
DecidedJuly 25, 2012
DocketNo. 3:12-cv-00616-DRH-SCW
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 886 F. Supp. 2d 911 (Smith v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 886 F. Supp. 2d 911, 2012 WL 3573896, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103646 (S.D. Ill. 2012).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING MOTION TO DISMISS

DAVID R. HERNDON, Chief Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

The above referenced diversity case is before the Court on the defendant’s, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“BIPI”), motion to dismiss the plaintiffs claims for failure to state a claim pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6). For the reasons set forth below, the motion is DENIED.1

[916]*916II. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

A. Overview of Related Pradaxa Product Liability Litigation

The above referenced case involves PRADAXA (“Pradaxa”), a prescription pharmaceutical indicated for the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism (blood clots) in patients with abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation). The plaintiff, Eva Smith, alleges that, as a result of ingesting Pradaxa she suffered a severe gastrointestinal bleed causing her to be hospitalized at St. Anthony’s Health Center. Doc. 2 ¶ 41. The plaintiff claims that during this time, she experienced excessive and/or uncontrollable bleeding, which was caused and/or worsened by her use of Pradaxa. Id. Presently, there are at least 36 cases involving Pradaxa with substantially similar fact patterns and allegations (“Pradaxa Product Liability Cases”) pending in fourteen different judicial districts in the United States. See MDL No. 2385, In re Pradaxa Prod. Liab. Litig. (Doc. 54).2 Of the 36 Pradaxa Product Liability Cases pending in federal court, 17 are on file in this judicial district and have been assigned to the undersigned judge.3

On May 31, 2012, plaintiff Vera Sellers (Sellers v. Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. et al., No., 3:12-cv-615) filed a motion for transfer of actions pursuant [917]*917to 28 U.S.C. § 1407 (“MDL Motion”). See Id. The MDL Motion requests centralization and consolidation of the Pradaxa Product Liability Cases before a single federal district court. Id. Plaintiff Sellers’ proposed forum is the Southern District of Illinois. Id. On May 30, 2012, five of the entities named as defendants in the Pradaxa Product Liability Cases filed a response to the MDL Motion. See MDL No. 2385, In re Pradaxa Prod. Liab. Litig. MDL No. 2385, In re Pradaxa Prod. Liab. Litig. Doc. 54. The responsive pleading states that these defendants are not opposed to consolidation but are opposed plaintiff Sellers’ proposed forum. Id. These defendants propose consolidation in the District of Connecticut or, alternatively, the Eastern District of Tennessee or Eastern District of Kentucky. Id. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (“JPML”) will hear the MDL Motion on July 26, 2012.

B. Effect of Pending MDL Motion

The pendency of a motion for consolidation “does not affect or suspend orders and pretrial proceedings in any pending federal district court action and does not limit the pretrial jurisdiction of that court.” J.P.M.L. Rule 2.1(d). Further, this Court recently concluded that a stay of pretrial proceedings is not warranted in the Pradaxa Product Liability Cases pending in this Court. Accordingly, the Court proceeds with the subject motion to dismiss.

III. RELEVANT FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A. Legal Standard

When the court acts on a defendant’s motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the court accepts as true all wellpled factual allegations and draws all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor. See Rujawitz v. Martin, 561 F.3d 685, 688 (7th Cir.2009); St. John’s United Church of Christ v. City of Chicago, 502 F.3d 616, 625 (7th Cir.2007), cert. denied, 553 U.S. 1032, 128 S.Ct. 2431, 171 L.Ed.2d 230 (2008). Generally, the Court’s analysis is limited to factual allegations contained in the complaint and the complaint’s exhibits. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(d) (documents outside the complaint may not be considered without converting the motion to dismiss into a motion for summary judgment).

There are, however, two exceptions to this general rule: First, a district court may “take judicial notice of matters of public record without converting a motion for failure to state a claim into a motion for summary judgment.” Gen. Elec. Capital Corp. v. Lease Resolution Corp., 128 F.3d 1074, 1080 (7th Cir.1997). Second, “a court may consider documents attached to a motion to dismiss * * * if they are referred to in the plaintiffs complaint and are central to his claim.” Brownmark Films, LLC v. Comedy Partners, 682 F.3d 687, 690 (7th Cir.2012) (internal quotation omitted).

With the exception of the text of the warning that has always accompanied Pradaxa, the facts below are taken from the plaintiffs complaint, which at this point in the litigation the Court presumes to be true. Additionally, the Court considers the text of the warning that has always been included in Pradaxa’s labeling and prescribing information. Although the exact language of the subject warning is not included in the plaintiffs complaint, it may be considered by the Court without converting BIPI’s motion to dismiss into a motion for summary judgment pursuant to either of the exceptions described above.4

[918]*918B. Relevant Facts

1. Overview

In July 2011, the plaintiffs physician prescribed the prescription drug Pradaxa for treatment of the plaintiffs non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Doc. 2 at ¶ 41. Pradaxa is a member of a class of anticoagulants known as direct thrombin inhibitors and is indicated to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (patients with atrial fibrillation have an increased risk of stroke). Id. at ¶ 11. Shortly after being prescribed Pradaxa, on or about December 7, 2011, the plaintiff suffered a severe gastrointestinal bleed causing her to be hospitalized at St. Anthony’s Health Center. Id. at ¶ 41. During this time, the plaintiff allegedly suffered from excessive and/or uncontrollable bleeding which was caused and/or worsened by her use of Pradaxa. Id. The Pradaxa prescribed to and ingested by the plaintiff was allegedly “designed, manufactured, marketed, advertised, distributed, promoted, labeled, tested and sold” by BIPI. Id. at ¶ 10.

The plaintiff contends, inter alia, that despite being aware of certain safety risks associated with use of Pradaxa, BIPI failed to adequately warn or disclose information about such risks to the medical community and consumers.5 See e.g., Id. at ¶¶ 18-22, 26(a-m), 27.

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886 F. Supp. 2d 911, 2012 WL 3573896, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103646, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-boehringer-ingelheim-pharmaceuticals-inc-ilsd-2012.