Xarelto Sparks Lawsuits for Excessive Bleeding and Death

Wilson Kehoe Winingham is now accepting clients who have taken Xarelto and suffered uncontrollable or excessive bleeding. Call our Indianapolis Drug Injury Attorneys at 317.920.6400 or fill out an online contact form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

How Xarelto Works

Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) is an anticoagulant—commonly referred to as a blood thinner—and was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2011. Xarelto is used to prevent and treat blood clots and is prescribed to help lower the risk of stroke, pulmonary embolism (PE), and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Patients may also be prescribed Xarelto if they recently had knee or hip replacement surgery.

Despite its classification, Xarelto doesn’t actually make blood any thinner. Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by preventing blood clots from forming in the veins or arteries by blocking specific proteins in the blood. 

Common Side Effects of Xarelto

Common side effects of Xarelto include prolonged bleeding from cuts and bruising easily. The most severe side effect of Xarelto is excessive, incurable bleeding.

Xarelto Fails to Warn of Antidote Resistance

Similar blood thinners contain a reversal agent, or antidote, that allow the blood to begin clotting once bleeding begins. However, Xarelto does not contain an antidote, thus increasing the risk for uncontrollable bleeding. Patients are also more susceptible to internal bleeding while taking Xarelto.

Typically, if a patient is experiencing blood loss or excessive bleeding, a physician can administer vitamin K or protamine sulfate to stop blood flow. Neither of these antidotes counteract anticoagulant properties in Xarelto because it blocks thrombin, an enzyme in the blood that causes clotting.

The FDA issued a warning for Xarelto in January 2014 officially acknowledging the increased risk of bleeding while taking Xarelto. The warning also announced that there is no antidote or reversal agent in Xarelto or its generic. Blood transfusions or replacements were recommended in the warning.

FDA Rejects Xarelto Uncontrolled Bleeding Antidote

In August 2016, the FDA rejected an antidote for uncontrolled bleeding associated with Xarelto and other similar blood thinners. The FDA’s response letter requested further information regarding Xarelto’s manufacturing as well as a thorough review of the changes made to all post-marketing commitments. A second application is expected to be submitted before 2017.

Xarelto Linked to Fatal Internal Bleeding

An adverse reaction (AR) report was issued for Xarelto less than a year later in December 2014 stating that Xarelto may cause thrombocytopenia, a condition where an individual has a low platelet count. Platelets help your blood clot and in turn stop any internal or external bleeding. Thrombocytopenia can cause bruising, bleeding into tissues, and slow clotting after injury or surgery.

Why Xarelto Lawsuits Are Filed

Xarelto lawsuits are being filed for a number of reasons—one being that injured patients claim that profits gained from Xarelto drugs have priority over their health: Xarelto brought in $2 billion for Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, in 2015 despite thousands of reports for uncontrollable bleeding and fatalities.

Allegations raised in Xarelto injury lawsuits nationwide claim that J&J and Bayer:

• Failed to provide adequate warnings about the risk of Xarelto bleeds
• Withheld information about the lack of an effective reversal agent
• Engaged in aggressive marketing that encouraged doctors to use the more expensive and more dangerous drug
• Sold an unreasonably dangerous and defective drug as it was initially formulated
• Failed to update warning or issue an Xarelto recall after it became clear that a large number of users were suffering severe and life-threatening injuries or death from uncontrollable bleeding

Compensation for a Xarelto Lawsuit

Patients who have suffered from severe, uncontrollable bleeding or other harmful side effects from taking Xarelto may be eligible for compensation for the following:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Loss of income
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of quality of life

Family members of patients killed while taking Xarelto may be eligible for damages.

Contact a Drug Injury Attorney Today

If you or a loved one have suffered from excessive bleeding after taking Xarelto, you are urged to contact the Indianapolis Drug Injury Attorneys of Wilson Kehoe Winingham. The lawyers at WKW can help you get the compensation you deserve. Call 317.920.6400 or fill out an online contact form for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

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