A Xarelto lawsuit was filed by a Vermont woman who alleges the drug made by Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals caused the uncontrollable bleeding that led to her father’s death.

Plaintiff Ruth E. McGowan said she filed the Xarelto lawsuit after learning that no reversal agent existed for internal bleeding caused by the drug. Like many patients who are prescribed anticoagulants, McGowan’s father, Thomas C. Dunkley, was prescribed Xarelto because he was at risk of experiencing deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and other blood clot complications. He was only on the medication for nine days before he died, according to his Xarelto lawsuit.

On July 26, 2012, Dunkley experienced a parenchymal hemorrhage, allegedly a Xarelto complication. McGowan said she filed the Xarelto lawsuit because her father was not warned at the time he was prescribed Xarelto that he could suffer from uncontrollable internal bleeding.

McGowan claims her father never would have taken the medication if he had known about the risks, according to the Xarelto lawsuit, which accused Janssen and Bayer of negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This Xarelto Lawsuit is Ruth E. McGowan v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Case No. 2:14-cv-00159-cr, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont.

Overview of Xarelto Complications

Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) was approved in 2011 as an anticoagulant meant to treat patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Essentially, the drug is meant to treat patients at high risk of developing blood clot injuries by thinning out the red blood cells.This drug was originally manufactured, distributed, and marketed by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, but was later produced by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

During fiscal year 2013, Xarelto became the top advertised pharmaceutical product featured in professional health journals based on pages and dollars spent. As a result of the defendants’ aggressive marketing campaign, Xarelto garnered approximately $582 million in global sales.

At first glance, it appeared as though the defendants had successfully broken into the anticoagulant market, where only two major competitors exist, Warfarin and Pradaxa. However, soon after its release, injury reports indicated that Xarelto may have had the same design flaw as Pradaxa in cases of internal bleeding. Unlike Warfarin, Xarelto and Pradaxa do not have a reversal agent.