A new Xarelto lawsuit has been filed by Kenneth S. in a Pennsylvania federal court against Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson, and Bayer Corporation. Kenneth is seeking damages for injuries he allegedly incurred while taking Xarelto.

Kenneth began taking Xarelto on July 1, 2014. His doctor prescribed him the drug to reduce his chance of stroke due to atrial fibrillation, a type of heart arrhythmia. On Aug. 8, 2014, Kenneth reportedly began to suffer from internal and rectal bleeding; he was hospitalized that same day.

Kenneth remained in the hospital for nearly two weeks and had to receive nine units of blood. Due to the ensuing complications, Kenneth can no longer take blood thinners. The Xarelto lawsuit alleges that had Kenneth been properly informed of the risks associated with using Xarelto, he would have chosen a safer alternative.

The Xarelto lawsuit claims that the defendants misinformed the medical community and the general public about the effectiveness of Xarelto and ignored patient safety in their marketing process.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-00119-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Overview of Xarelto Lawsuits

Xarelto is an anticoagulant, or blood thinning medicine, prescribed to keep blood clots from forming. Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011 to reduce risk of blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolisms in patients who have undergone knee and hip replacement surgery. Over the next few years, the FDA approved Xarelto for reducing risk of stroke for patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and for long-term treatment of patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

The pharmaceutical companies marketing Xarelto claimed that this new anticoagulant is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner that exists for patients without regular blood monitoring. Marketers also claimed that Xarelto, unlike its competitor warfarin, requires no dietary restrictions for its users. According to the Xarelto lawsuit, the drug has been prescribed to over 7 million people across the globe.

Xarelto manufacturers aggressively marketed the drug, resulting in large profits for the defendants. A one-year prescription of Xarelto costs patients approximately $3,000, compared to the generic form of warfarin which is about $300. Based on a World Preview report, Xarelto is estimated to be the 19th best selling drug by the year 2018. Xarelto manufacturers have been warned by the FDA that their advertising is misleading and minimizes the risks associated with taking the anticoagulant.

The side effects associated with taking Xarelto include hemorrhage and potentially serious blood clot related injuries in short term users. Surprisingly, blood clot injuries are the exact condition that Xarelto is meant to prevent. Unlike warfarin, Xarelto has no known antidote to stop uncontrolled bleeding.

Lawsuits against Xarelto are being filed by patients who have allegedly suffered serious Xarelto side effects and family members who may have lost loved ones due to the drug. Many of the Xarelto lawsuits include claims of negligence, fraud and deceit, breach of contract, and products liability. These lawsuits may help patients receive compensation for their medical bills and their pain and suffering allegedly caused by using Xarelto.