A March editorial was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (or JAMA), examining the current risks associated with Xarelto bleeding and how the dosage may affect this dangerous health side effect. The author examined how direct-acting oral anticoagulant (DOAC) drugs may become safer if the dosage was individualized for each patient’s case.

Dr. J. Robert Powell wrote about the three new anticoagulants — Xarelto, Eliquis, and Pradaxa — which have been under investigation for allegedly causing gastrointestinal bleeding and pulmonary bleeding. In his editorial, he pushed for drug safety over marketing, noting that the issue of Xarelto safety is not very different from previous concerns of warfarin safety. According to Dr. Powell, it took several decades before warfarin, the previous leading anticoagulant, became less dangerous to use. 

In his Xarelto side effects editorial, Powell states, “It is not a coincidence that 3 US-marketed DOACs share the same strategy of 1 dose for all patients and no need for laboratory testing.” He also observed that each patient’s blood is different and can vary in drug plasma concentration, a factor that can influence Xarelto bleeding side effects.

Furthermore, Boehringer Ingelheim allegedly failed to adequately inform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the benefits of monitoring patients for Xarelto bleeding while taking their brand name anticoagulant. 

Powell suggested that Xarelto, as well as the other new anticoagulants, could still work with either a smaller dosage or through more personalized dosage. These precautions might lower the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary bleeding, and other Xarelto complications. 

Xarelto Bleeding

Xarelto, Pradaxa and Eliquis were each created as alternatives to warfarin, previously considered the most-popular anticoagulant. Warfarin required a strict diet and additional monitoring to use as a blood thinning medication. Drug manufacturers attempted to create an “easier” drug to use that is also more effective as an anticoagulant. 

The primary problem Xarelto users face is the lack of antidote or bleeding reversal agent. If a warfarin patient begins to experience pulmonary bleeding or gastrointestinal bleeding, there is a vitamin K antidote that can reverse the internal bleeding side effects. There is currently no way of stopping Xarelto side effects. Because of this, thousands of individuals have experienced Xarelto bleeding, many with drastic, if not deadly, consequences.

Xarelto lawsuits have been filed against the drug manufacturer, bringing forth allegations of failure to warn, negligence, and many other claims including wrongful death and loss of consortium when applicable. It has been argued that Xarelto should not have been introduced to the market without adequate tests, an antidote, or without an adequate warning stating the risks of Xarelto bleeding and the lack of antidote to users and their prescribing doctors. 

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturers of Xarelto, Pradaxa, and Eliquis in the past few years. Already, hundreds of millions of dollars have been awarded to Pradaxa victims. Many Xarelto lawsuits are currently awaiting trial in state and federal courts across the nation. 

If Powell’s advice concerning individuals Xarelto dosing is followed, there may be a decrease in the number of pulmonary bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding cases and complaints being brought before the drug manufacturers and the courts.