A Xarelto side effects lawsuit was filed by the sons of a Tennessee man who allegedly died from his use of the Bayer anticoagulant prescription medication. The  Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit alleges that the manufacturers of Xarelto understated the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding as a possible side effect.

Plaintiffs Harry and Joseph Griggs, residents of Tennessee, filed this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of their father Charles Griggs who, they allege, died at the age of 92 as a direct side effect of his use of Xarelto.

In May 2013, Charles Griggs was prescribed Xarelto by his primary care physician as a blood thinning medication to reduce his risk of developing blood clots or experiencing a stroke, according to the Xarelto side effects lawsuit. However, in August of the same year, Griggs suffered life-threatening bleeding and “was caused to sustain severe and permanent personal injuries, pain, suffering, and emotional distress.” A few months later, as a result of the trauma sustained from the episode of uncontrollable bleeding, Charles Griggs died suddenly on Dec. 6, 2013, the Xarelto lawsuit said.

The Griggs brothers allege that the creators of Xarelto were aware since the drug’s clinical trials that their blood thinning medication increased a patient’s risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, especially in comparison to the traditional anticoagulant medication Coumadin (or Warfarin). Instead, Bayer Healthcare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals pushed an aggressive direct-to-consumer advertisements highlighting Xarelto as a safe, easy to use, and easy to monitor blood thinning medication, the Xarelto lawsuit alleged.

The Griggs’ lawsuit accuses Bayer and Janssen of negligence, strict products liability, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and deceit, and wrongful death.

The Xarelto Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Griggs, et al. v. Janssen Research & Development LLC, et al., Case No. 1:14-cv-04841, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

What is Xarelto?

Xarelto is a blood thinning medication categorized under a new group of medications known as “direct thrombin inhibitors.” Xarelto and a number of other new generation anticoagulant drugs have been prescribed by doctors to reduce the risk of developing strokes and blood clots.

Bayer and Janssen (a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary) created Xarelto as a joint venture and introduced their new generation anticoagulant drug into the American drug market in 2011.

Xarelto was initially well received by both physicians and patients. As a result, many patients suffering from atrial fibrillation in the wake of a hip or knee replacement surgery were prescribed the Bayer blood thinner to prevent strokes and blood clots.

However, Xarelto side effects have been in reported in increasing numbers this year. Some side effects of taking Xarelto include:

• Deep vein thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Abdominal bleeding
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Brain hemorrhaging
• Abnormal liver function
• Reduced platelet levels
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhaging in the eyes
• Low blood pressure
• Nose bleeds
• Rectal bleeding
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Rapid heartbeat
• Bruising
• Edema