Ashley Milano  |  April 11, 2016

Category: Legal News

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blood thinner eliquisTo date, thousands of plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against the makers of the popular blood thinners Pradaxa and Xarelto based on claims that these companies did not provide adequate warnings of potentially fatal internal bleeding side effects.

Now, at least two plaintiffs have alleged similar complaints against the makers of a related drug, Eliquis. These Eliquis lawsuits claim that the drug makers, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb, hid some clinical trial data that may show Eliquis is not as safe as advertised and poses a significant risk of uncontrollable internal bleeding.

What is Eliquis?

Eliquis was approved by the FDA in late 2012, a year after Xarelto and two years after Pradaxa. It is now prescribed for the prevention of strokes in those with a-fib as well as the prevention of repeat blood clots in the lungs and extremities.

Eliquis is a member of a newer generation of blood thinners including Xarelto and Pradaxa. These drugs were initially embraced because they were stated to be safer than warfarin (Coumadin). However, consumers quickly learned that while Vitamin K can stop bleeds caused by warfarin,  there is no way to reverse internal bleeding in patients taking the newer drugs.

Eliquis Lawsuits Filed Over Internal Bleeding

In July 2015, the first of two Eliquis lawsuits was filed by the the widow of a man who died from uncontrollable bleeding after taking the blood-thinner. This was filed in New York federal court.

Plaintiff Deborah H. filed the Eliquis wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her husband, Donald, who was prescribed Eliquis and began taking it in August 2014 to prevent strokes associated with atrial fibrillation. Less than three months later, he developed uncontrollable gastrointestinal bleeding and died as a result.

Deborah claims that Bristol-Myers Squibb fraudulently neglected to report accurate results from their ARISTOTLE clinical trial while attempting to gain FDA approval for Eliquis. She also claims that a Bristol-Myers Squibb employee was ordered to “lose” some records from that trial when FDA regulators visited the site of the clinical trial.

The Eliquis lawsuit states, “Instead of admitting the major errors and frauds involved in the ARISTOTLE study, defendants misleadingly stated publicly that they were submitting ‘additional data’ to the FDA, and to this date have never publicly acknowledged the missing and incorrect data submitted to the FDA, which would be of concern to prescribing physicians and the public.”

Approximately one week after Deborah filed her Eliquis wrongful death lawsuit, a second Eliquis lawsuit was filed in Alabama.  Plaintiff Lester B. was admitted to the hospital with numbness and loss of feeling in his right hand, which doctors attributed to a severe intracranial hemorrhage. Lester had been taking Eliquis for only a few days.

Because there was no way for doctors to stop the bleeding, his condition worsened for several days even after he discontinued use of Eliquis.

Lester’s Eliquis lawsuit alleges that Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb concealed the true risks of Eliquis, as well as potentially damaging data from a Chinese study which was used by the FDA to approve the drug in the U.S.

New Eliquis Lawsuits Anticipated

So far, nearly 1,000 Eliquis patients have suffered major or fatal internal bleeding. Due to the growing use of Eliquis and the potential that the drug’s risks were not disclosed to patients, lawyers anticipate that hundreds of Eliquis patients may eventually come forward to file Eliquis lawsuits.

These Eliquis lawsuits will likely allege that the makers of the drug failed to properly warn users of internal bleeding risks or that no antidote is available for bleeding emergencies. They may also allege that the drug companies hid data about its risks.

If you or your loved one has suffered from internal bleeding or even wrongful death due to hemorrhaging while taking the blood thinner Eliquis, you may be entitled to substantial compensation.

The Eliquis Lawsuits are Cases No. 1:15-cv-04620 and 1:15-cv-00379 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Southern District of Alabama, respectively.

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.

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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.

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