Eliquis is one of several  anticoagulants released in the past several years. Although the drug makers marketed the drug as safe and easy to use, many patients have reported serious and potentially deadly side effects.

Eliquis side effects may include internal bleeding in the brain, kidney, and more.

Eliquis, released in 2012, was the third generation in a class of drugs called Factor Xa Inhibitors. Pradaxa and Xarelto proceeded Eliquis.

All drugs of this class were created and approved to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation and to prevent blood clots in patients undergoing certain surgeries. Warfarin was the previous go-to anticoagulant and has been widely used for decades.

Warfarin, however, requires that the patient adhere to a strict diet and have their blood checked frequently.

Eliquis and other Factor Xa drugs are prescribed as one pre-set dosage, and patients do not have to have their blood tested or follow a diet. But this class of drugs that was supposed to be easier to use has caused thousands of individuals to suffer from internal bleeding.

It has been claimed that Eliquis side effects should have been warned against, especially considering the fact that the Factor Xa drugs that were previously released also had internal bleeding side effects.

It has been suggested that blood monitoring would greatly reduce the number of cases of Eliquis side effects, but even if a patient wanted to have their blood monitored while taking Eliquis, the test for this has not been approved by the FDA.

What makes Eliquis considerably more dangerous than warfarin is the lack of an antidote. If a patient taking warfarin suffers from internal bleeding, there is an antidote that can be given.

Eliquis has no such antidote. Therefore the internal bleeding is uncontrollable and only stops once Eliquis has exited the body.

Eliquis Lawsuits

As a result of Eliquis’s unwarned side effects, countless Eliquis lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer and Bristol-Meyers Squibb accusing the manufacturers of negligence and failure to warn. Wrongful death lawsuits may be filed by the loved ones of a patient who died from Eliquis internal bleeding.

Plaintiffs have also claimed in Eliquis lawsuits that they were not informed about the lack of antidote and might have chosen different medical treatment had they been fully aware of the risks they were taking when choosing Eliquis.

Eliquis lawsuits may help a plaintiff win compensation for medical expenses, emotional and physical pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.

Already, the manufacturer of Pradaxa has agreed to pay a multimillion dollar settlement to its internal bleeding victims.