Drug makers Bayer and Johnson & Johnson are facing a Xarelto lawsuit related to safety concerns about the blood thinner Xarelto (rivaroxaban).

An Illinois resident filed the Xarelto lawsuit against the manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and the co-marketer of Xarelto, Bayer Healthcare AG, alleging these companies failed to warn patients and physicians of the increased risks of irreversible and fatal internal bleeding when using Xarelto.

According to the Xarelto internal bleeding lawsuit, plaintiff Michael Mulroney used Xarelto to treat his atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) and subsequently suffered injuries and damages that were a direct and proximate result of Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s omissions relating to Xarelto.

Mulroney was hospitalized after he took Xarelto and suffered a life-threatening, irreversible gastrointestinal bleeding event in May. He claims the drug should not be sold and that Bayer and Johnson & Johnson continued to sell it even if they knew the risks. The companies also allegedly did not inform the public.

The Xarelto lawsuit further accuses the defendants of purposely concealing important safety information from the medical community, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the public and did not test the drug enough before it was put on the market.

Xarelto Complications, Risks, and Side Effects

Approved in 2011, Xarelto is one of the newest anticoagulants (blood thinners) manufactured and marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutical and Bayer that has been widely prescribed to prevent blood clots in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (arrhythmia of the heart); deep vein thrombosis (blood clots deep within the body); pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs); stroke; and patients who have recently undergone a knee or hip replacement surgery.

It generally is prescribed as an alternative to Warfarin (Coumadin), a blood thinner that began to be used in 1954. The most serious potential Xarelto side effect, complication and risk caused is severe internal bleeding that can result in death. Even more alarming is there currently is no known cure to reverse the type of internal bleeding caused by Xarelto.

Other potential injuries caused through the use of Xarelto include thrombosis (blood clots); decreased hemoglobin (a substance that carries oxygen in red blood cells); cerebrovascular accidents (an event that leads to a cerebral hemorrhage); hematoma (a semisolid mass in the blood); peripheral edema (swelling of the lower limbs); and dyspnea (difficulty breathing)

Xarelto Blood Thinner Lawsuits

The Xarelto blood thinner lawsuit is seeking compensatory, economic, and punitive damages for Bayer’s, Johnson & Johnson’s, and Janssen Pharmaceutical’s alleged deceptive and reckless practices in misrepresenting and omitting numerous facts about the dangers of taking Xarelto.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Michael Mulroney v. Janssen Research & Development LLC f/k/a Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-01073-MJR-DWG, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, East St. Louis Division.