Have you used Xarelto and suffered internal bleeding?
Xarelto is a blood thinner used for the prevention of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and stroke in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. Xarelto is touted for its convenience as a single daily-dose pill for which no blood monitoring is necessary. However, Xarelto carries a significant risk of severe, and even fatal, internal bleeding. And, unlike Coumadin, there is no reversal agent for a Xarelto-induced bleed.
Xarelto
Xarelto is a blood thinner indicated for the prevention of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and stroke in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. Along with Pradaxa and Eliquis, it is part of a class of drugs known as new oral anticoagulants (“NOACs”). These medications have been aggressively marketed as the next generation of blood thinners intended to replace Coumadin (warfarin).
Xarelto was first approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2011. Xarelto is manufactured by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and promoted and sold in the United States under a co-marketing agreement by Johnson & Johnson.
Xarelto is touted for its convenience as a single daily-dose pill for which no blood monitoring is necessary. However, Xarelto carries a significant risk of severe, and even fatal, internal bleeding. And, unlike Coumadin, there is no reversal agent for a Xarelto-induced bleed.
Until recently, Bayer Healthcare failed to warn physicians and patients that no antidote for a Xarelto-induced bleed was ever developed by the company.
In January 2014, the FDA required that a black box warning be placed on the Xarelto label stating that there is no antidote for excessive bleeding while on the medication.
Xarelto Litigation & Trial Update
In December 2014, all federal Xarelto lawsuits were consolidated in In Re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2592 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana before the Honorable Eldon Fallon. Judge Fallon is one of the country’s leading multidistrict litigation (MDL) judges – having presided over the Vioxx, Propulsid and Chinese Drywall litigations.
As of April 2015, there are over 400 cases currently pending in the Xarelto MDL.
In January 2015, a mass tort of consolidated Xarelto lawsuits was established in the County Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There are currently 180 cases filed in this venue.
Xaelto cases have also been filed in St. Clair County Circuit Court in Illinois.
It is anticipated that the total number of Xarelto lawsuits could rival the number of cases filed against the makers of Pradaxa, which is a drug in the same class as Xarelto.
In May 2014, the manufacturer of Pradaxa agreed to pay $650 million to settle thousands of lawsuits filed for internal bleeding injuries following the use of the medication.
Contact Lewis Saul & Associates, P.C. To Discuss Your Rights
If you or a loved one used Xarelto and suffered internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhagic stroke, death or other injury, you may be entitled to pursue a claim against the manufacturers for damages. For a free and confidential case evaluation, please call our office toll-free at (888) 747-5342 or complete our online contact form and we will promptly respond to your inquiry.