As the number of Xarelto lawsuits continues to grow in the United States, a group of plaintiffs are moving to consolidate these lawsuits before one judge by establishing a Xarelto multidistrict litigation (MDL).

That would allow the plaintiffs to organize all affected lawsuits into coordinated proceedings during the pretrial process, which would save time and money. The plaintiffs’ motion to transfer was filed earlier this month with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). If approved, these Xarelto bleeding lawsuits would be centralized before U.S. District Judge David R. Herndon in the Southern District of Illinois.

The plaintiffs wish to establish the Xarelto MDL because it would provide strict guidance and deadlines in the complex litigation process, in which a large number of similar lawsuits have been filed. The purpose of establishing an MDL would be to reduce the chances of duplicative discovery and avoiding conflicting rulings from different judges. The JPML is expected to hear oral arguments from both sides on either Dec. 4, in Charleston, S.C. or on Jan. 29 in Miami.

There are at least 21 Xarelto bleeding lawsuits pending in 10 different federal district courts across the country. Each of these Xarelto lawsuits alleges that the anticoagulant caused users to develop severe, and sometimes fatal, internal bleeding injuries.

These Xarelto lawsuits involve patients who were prescribed the drug to prevent stroke due to atrial fibrillation or tendency to develop blood clots. Legal experts expect that several thousand Xarelto lawsuits will be filed in the next couple of months.

Along with the irreversible bleeding injuries, plaintiffs accuse the manufacturing companies, Bayer Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, of failing to warn the public about the dangers of Xarelto. Lawyers representing the plaintiffs state that the companies had the civil responsibility to warn their clients and the rest of their public about all side effects the drugs could cause because the consumers are relying on the accuracy of the given information.

Overview of Xarelto Complications

Xarelto (Rivaroxoaban) was released in 2011 to join the line of a new generation of anticoagulants that were supposed to surpass Warfarin (Coumadin). These drugs were advertised to be faster, have greater efficiency, and did not require constant blood monitoring by doctors. While patients and physicians attested to the drugs’ strength, it was soon discovered that these medications sometimes worked a little too well.

Throughout the country, numerous patients reported suffering uncontrollable internal bleeding injuries after taking Xarelto and other new anticoagulants. While the mechanism of blood-thinning worked in preventing stroke, physicians realized that there was no reversal agent for these medications. Warfarin has a remedy solution in the case of internal bleeding while Xarelto does not.