A Rhode Island man has filed a Xarelto lawsuit against multiple pharmaceutical companies for injuries related to the drug. The plaintiff claimed that the defendants, including Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals, received a letter from the FDA in 2013 requesting that they stop improper promotion of their product. The plaintiff further claimed that there is no antidote to the blood-thinning properties of Xarelto, in the event of hemorrhagic complications. Sixty-five deaths have been linked to the drug. The Xarelto lawsuit alleges that the defendants failed to conduct adequate research into the drug’s safety and did not appropriately warn doctors and patients about the known risks of the medication, in some cases concealing information about potential side effects.
Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011 as an anticoagulant, or blood-thinning drug. It is intended to prevent blood-clotting in patients undergoing certain surgeries and patients with irregular heartbeats. Unfortunately, according to plaintiffs in Xarelto lawsuits, the drug can cause patients to bleed to death. Xarelto lawsuits claim that the drug was not adequately tested before its release, and that certain side effects caused by the medication have been concealed or downplayed.
Earlier this year, two U.S. courts moved to consolidate over 100 Xarelto lawsuits in a multidistrict litigation, despite fierce opposition from Bayer and Johnson & Johnson. Many have compared Xarelto to Pradaxa, a blood-thinning drug manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. Over 4,000 lawsuits were filed over Pradaxa, including 500 cases alleging death. The Pradaxa cases settled recently for approximately $650 million.
Always consult your doctor or physician when making changes to your health care plan. If you or someone you know has suffered bleeding or a blood clot from Xarelto, contact the pharmaceutical attorneys at Lopez McHugh and receive your free consultation. You may qualify for compensation through a Xarelto lawsuit.