German drugmaker Boehringer Ingelheim has said it will pay about $650 million to settle US lawsuits that claimed the company's blockbuster blood thinner, Pradaxa (dabigatran) caused severe and fatal bleeding.

Boehringer said it expected to resolve about 4,000 claims with the settlement. The claimants had accused the company of not issuing sufficient warnings of the risks associated with the drug.

While the company denied liability, it said the deal would allow it to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of a lengthy litigation process.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs said he was hopeful that claimants would receive compensation within a year as lawyers move to implement the settlement. The amount each individual receives will vary depending on the severity and nature of the alleged injury.

On the US market since 2008 - since 2010 in the US - Pradaxa is one of a new class of blood thinners used in stroke prevention and is designed to replace the widely used generic drug warfarin, which requires extensive blood testing.

The drug, which competes with Bayer and Johnson & Johnson's Xarelto as well as Bristol Myers-Squibb Co and Pfizer's Eliquis, had annual sales of about €1.2 billion in 2013.