A new lawsuit was filed on Nov. 28, 2017 in U.S. District Court by a plaintiff who claims to have suffered Xarelto bleeding problems after taking this anticoagulant medication made, promoted, and distributed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals.

The plaintiff, Tirish S. is a citizen and resident of the state of Illinois. By filing this lawsuit, Tirish joins a multidistrict litigation along with hundreds of other claimants who allege they were inadequately warned about Xarelto bleeding problems.

Treatment with Xarelto

Tirish S. says she was prescribed Xarelto for the treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) on Sept. 24, 2014. DVT is a condition in which blood clots develop in the lower extremities. These clots can contribute to localized tissue death without proper blood supply, or cause dangerous cardiac, lung, and brain events should one of the clots break off and travel.

Tirish S. says she took Xarelto for over a year until Nov. 13, 2015, wherein the plaintiff ended up suffering dangerous Xarelto bleeding problems leading to hematuria and anemia.

The Xarelto bleeding problems led to the emergent need for several blood transfusions while hospitalized as an inpatient at Loyola University Medical Center. Tirish’s physician immediately discontinued the plaintiff’s use of Xarelto.

The FDA and Xarelto

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xarelto on July 1, 2011 for domestic marketing. It is part of a newer class of anticoagulants known as NOACs and is on par with Pradaxa and Eliquis. Warfarin, which these drugs were created to compete with, is an older anticoagulant marketed under the brand name Coumadin, and has been successfully used for close to 60 years.

Like warfarin, Xarelto was designated to prevent DVT as well as pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot traveling to the lung area, and blood clots in patients undergoing total knee and hip arthroscopies.

The defendants were attempting to compete with warfarin and, upon Xarelto’s approval by the FDA, began an aggressive marketing campaign underscoring how it was better by telling the public that no blood monitoring, dietary changes, or twice daily dosing was needed. The narrative of this lawsuit alleges that the defendants deliberately and wantonly misled the American public with these claims.

Plaintiff Accusations

After her experience with Xarelto bleeding problems, the plaintiff decided to file this lawsuit and is bringing the following counts against the named defendants: Strict Liability, Manufacturing Defect, Design Defect, Failure to Warn, Negligence, Breach of Express Warranty, Breach of Implied Warranty, Negligent Misrepresentation, Fraud, and Violation of Consumer Protection Laws.

Tirish S. is asking for a trial by jury, a favorable award with compensatory damages more than the jurisdictional amount, consideration in damage assessment of pain and suffering, medical expenses, loss of income, and cost of litigation in terms of attorney and court fees. Tirish also hopes for punitive damages to be levied against the defendants according to evidence presented at trial.

The Xarelto Bleeding Complaint is Case No. 2:17-cv-13468-EEF-MBN in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.