During the past month, at least half a dozen Xarelto lawsuits have been filed against Bayer Healthcare and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit, on behalf of patients nationwide who believe they have been adversely affected by uncontrollable bleeding complications of Xarelto. All of the claims involve similar allegations that the drug companies failed to provide consumers and the medical community with adequate information about the risk of potentially life-threatening bleeding side effects linked to Xarelto. If you or a loved one took Xarelto in the past, and you have since suffered a major bleeding complication, contact a skilled Xarelto lawyer today for legal help. You may have grounds to file a Xarelto lawsuit against Bayer and Janssen, in order to seek compensation for your injuries.
One of the most recent Xarelto lawsuits was filed by Martha McMunn in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, after her husband, Richard McMunn Jr., died from Xarelto bleeding injuries in February 2013. According to the complaint, Richard McMunn experienced uncontrollable bleeding after using Xarelto for just one week to prevent blood clots following a knee replacement surgery. Three days after McMunn used Xarelto for the first time, he suffered a severe bleeding event and developed an acute bilateral pulmonary embolism. Doctors took him off Xarelto on February 18, but he died five days later.
Martha McMunn and former Xarelto users across the country are pursuing legal claims against Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging that uncontrollable bleeding problems from Xarelto could have been avoided if the drug makers had not concealed critical safety information about the lack of a Xarelto reversal agent. Unlike older blood thinners, Xarelto currently has no approved antidote, which means doctors are unable to reverse the blood thinning effects of the medication in the event of a bleeding complication, putting patients at risk for serious injuries or death from Xarelto.
Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is part of a new generation of anticoagulant drugs known as direct thrombin inhibitors, which are designed to thin the blood, thereby reducing the risk of blood clots and strokes. The anticoagulant drug was introduced in the United States in late 2011, as a joint development by Bayer and Janssen, and was aggressively promoted by the drug companies as a superior alternative to older blood thinners like warfarin, which has been on the market in the U.S. for decades. Despite their claims that Xarelto requires less patient monitoring than warfarin, Xarelto lawsuits allege that the lack of a reversal agent makes the newer blood thinner far more dangerous.
“In the year leading up to June 30, 2012, there were 1,080 Xarelto-associated ‘Serious Adverse Event’ Medwatch reports filed with the FDA, including at least 65 deaths,” the McMunn lawsuit states. “Of the reported hemorrhage events associated with Xarelto, 8% resulted in death, which was approximately twofold the risk of a hemorrhage-related death with warfarin.” If you believe you have been adversely affected by uncontrollable bleeding side effects of Xarelto, our consumer advocates at the Consumer Justice Foundation can help. We are committed to protecting the rights of consumers harmed by dangerous medications, can help help put you in touch with a qualified attorney who has experience handling Xarelto bleeding claims.
