In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the prescription blood thinning medication Xarelto. Shortly thereafter, Xarelto displaced Pradaxa, a competing blood thinner manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim, as the most frequently prescribed blood thinner.
As blood thinners, both Pradaxa and Xarelto are supposed to reduce the risk of blood clots and stroke in patients. The drugs are prescribed to patients who are at risk of blood clots after serious surgeries.
Xarelto is manufactured by Bayer but marketed by Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the United States. The blood thinner is one of the newest on the market over the last three years, and it has revealed serious side effects.
Why the Judicial Panel Consolidated Xarelto Lawsuits
In the wake of multiple allegations of serious injury, at least 24 lawsuits have been filed in federal district courts across the country. The US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has consolidated the lawsuits because the attorneys and patients all raised issues that were common among all of the cases.
The cases have been consolidated in Louisiana federal court, and both Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer Corp. objected to the consolidation. The plaintiffs’ attorneys were able to successfully argue that the facts in the case were common to all patients. Boehringer Ingelheim settled their Pradaxa litigation for $650 million. The settlement reached in mid-2014 covered more than 4,000 individual injuries.
Potential Dangers of Xarelto
While all blood thinners can cause uncontrolled bleeding, Xarelto seems to be especially dangerous because the drug’s bleeding cannot be reversed.
Possible Side Effects of Xarelto
- Strokes and brain hemorrhages
- Blood clots
- Aneurism
- Fatal injuries caused by bleeding that cannot be stopped
- Bleeding in the intestines
One of the most dangerous aspects of Xarelto is that when an uncontrolled bleeding issue begins, it is very difficult to stop. There is no antidote for an uncontrolled bleeding episode caused by Xarelto. While the manufacturers are attempting to develop one, it does not exist, and an uncontrolled bleeding incident can be fatal.
Injured patients and their attorneys allege that Bayer and Johnson & Johnson may have known about the risks associated with Xarelto and intentionally concealed this information from the public. Additionally, the companies are being accused of failing to conduct the proper amount of research before releasing the drug to the public.
Xarelto Injury Lawsuits: Our Attorneys Can Help You Get Justice
The Xarelto injury attorneys at Peterson & Associates, P.C. are available to assist you and your family in addressing injuries caused by Xarelto prescriptions.
If you suspect that blood thinners such as Xarelto have caused an injury, join thousands of injured Americans in holding pharmaceutical companies responsible for the injuries that their drugs have caused. Contact us to determine if you are entitled to financial compensation. We don’t get paid unless you recover.