A Kentucky resident filed a Xarelto bleeding lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging its drug caused her to develop life-threatening complications.

According to the Xarelto bleeding lawsuit, plaintiff Marilynne Cox took Xarelto for less than a month in 2013 and suffered a life-threatening uterine bleed. Cox was rushed in for emergency medical care. It took a transfusion to stabilize Cox and save her life.

Xarelto is a type of drug called an anticoagulant, designed to interfere with the clotting process. While clotting is part of the normal healing process, when it misfires, it can cause serious health problems. For example, when a blood clot forms with the body, it can block blood vessels, starving important organs and tissues of oxygen. Depending on what organ is damaged, this can be a stroke, pulmonary embolism, or certain types of heart attacks. Anticoagulants like Xarelto can help decrease the risk of errant blood clots in high-risk patients, but all anticoagulants carry certain risks, such as Xareto bleeding problems.

All anticoagulants, including Xarelto, carry the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. Since anticoagulants interfere with the bleeding process, they cause a person to lose the ability to clot. When this happens, a person can die from a very minor injury, including minor internal injuries. According to this Xarelto lawsuit, Xarelto and related drugs have special risks not seen in older anticoagulants like Warfarin.

Older anticoagulants such as Warfarin have reversal agents available. This means that if a patient experiences uncontrollable bleeding, a drug exists that can effectively turn off the drug to allow a patient to stop bleeding. In the case of Warfarin, a very high dose of injected Vitamin K, called a megadose, shuts down the drug. This works because Warfarin and related drugs block the action of Vitamin K, which is critical to blood clotting. However, newer anticoagulants like Xarelto do not have known reversal agents. Lawsuits like Cox’s allege that drug manufacturers have promoted Xarelto despite this risk, even with postmarket reports of uncontrollable bleeding like Cox’s uterine bleed. Similar lawsuits have been filed by patients who suffered similar alleged Xarelto problems like gastrointestinal bleeding and pulmonary bleeding.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Marilynne A. Cox v. Janssen Research & Development LLC, et al., Case No. 3:14-CV-579-H, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Louisville Division.