Paul Tassin  |  April 21, 2015

Category: Legal News

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

painkillers-eliquis-complicationsEliquis, one of the new generation of anticoagulant medications, is controversial over increasing the risk of internal bleeding. One report shows that risk is aggravated by taking common over-the-counter pain medications.

The report was published online in JAMA Internal Medicine in April 2014. Researchers from the United States, Europe, and Australia sought to find out if other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, caused a similar increase in risk of internal bleeding as aspirin when taken in combination with anticoagulants like Eliquis. They analyzed results from the EINSTEIN clinical trials, which documented the results of anticoagulant treatment for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in over 8,000 patients treated from 2007 to 2009.

The researchers found that combining anticoagulants with non-aspirin NSAIDs significantly aggravated the risk of excessive bleeding. (The event rate associated with non-aspirin NSAIDs was slightly higher than that associated with aspirin.)

Head researcher Dr. Bruce Davidson of the University of Washington School of Medicine said that the risk of bleeding for patients who take NSAIDs while also taking an anticoagulant is double what it would be if they did not take an NSAID. Dr. Davidson said the risk of bleeding might be even greater for patients with atrial fibrillation. He recommended patients using anticoagulants take Tylenol for pain and avoid NSAIDs altogether.

Eliquis and Internal Bleeding

Eliquis, also known under its generic name apixaban, is a product of Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. The FDA approved Eliquis in 2012 to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation.

The agency subsequently expanded the list of approved uses to include prevention of blood clots following hip or knee replacement surgery and treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Eliquis is the third in a new generation of blood thinning medications that began to hit the market in 2010. These new medications have been offered as alternatives to warfarin, an older medication that used to dominate the market.

The new medications have one advantage over warfarin in that they do not require ongoing monitoring, blood testing, and dosage adjustment that warfarin does. They are also variously touted by their manufacturers as easier to take, more effective, or safer.

But the new generation of anticoagulants comes with one significant disadvantage over warfarin. All anticoagulants increase the patient’s risk of bleeding, even when not combined with aspirin or other NSAIDs. However, unlike warfarin, Eliquis and the other new medications do not have any reversal agent, medication that can stop excessive bleeding once it starts.

NSAIDs are familiar to many consumers as the active ingredients in many over-the-counter pain medications. They include aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium, which are the active ingredients in many well-known brands such as Advil, Motrin, Excedrin, Aleve, and Nuprin.

Eliquis Lawsuits

As with the other two new anticoagulants Pradaxa and Xarelto, patients who suffered excessive bleeding from Eliquis have begun seeking compensation by filing Eliquis lawsuits.

Typical Eliquis lawsuits allege Pfizer unlawfully downplayed the risks of internal bleeding associated with Eliquis in its labeling and advertising. Victims may be able to get compensation for economic harm, such as increased medical bills, as well as nonecomomic harm, which can include pain, suffering, and the effect of Eliquis side effects on spousal relations.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The Eliquis attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Eliquis class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Eliquis lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

Learn More

Get Help – It’s Free

Join a Free Eliquis Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one took Eliquis (apixaban) and suffered injuries such as uncontrollable internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhaging, kidney bleeding or death, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.


Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.