Professional basketball player Chris Bosh was recently featured in a television commercial endorsing the blood thinner Xarelto as a safe and effective treatment for blood clots.

The basketball star, who had to sit out games with the Miami Heat after suffering from blood clots in his lungs, was one of a group of celebrity endorsers touting the product that has unfortunately been alleged to cause severe adverse side effects.

The Miami New Times is reporting that thousands of patients have filed Xarelto lawsuits after suffering from internal bleeding injuries allegedly caused by the medication.

The Xarelto lawsuits are aimed at the manufacturers of the popular new generation blood thinner, which is typically prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation or who are at high risk for stroke. Like all blood thinners, Xarelto works by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism.

Approved by the FDA in 2011, Xarelto is a joint venture between Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceutical division and Bayer Pharmaceuticals.

Although it enjoys a place at the top of America’s blood thinner market, a number of patients have complained that the blood thinner has caused uncontrollable bleeding.

Unlike the older blood thinner Warfarin, Xarelto has no antidote in the case of uncontrollable bleeding. Despite the risk, Janssen and Bayer have aggressively marketed the drug in various advertisements such as Bosh’s commercial.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding

The Xarelto commercial featuring Bosh included other big names including golfer Arnold Palmer, comedian Kevin Nealon, and NASCAR driver Kevin Vickers. Each of them claimed that the blood thinner “was the right move” for them, possibly inspiring patients at risk for stroke to get Xarelto prescriptions.

One such patient was Jessica B., a 37-year-old medical technician who suffered uncontrollable bleeding allegedly as a result of Xarelto side effects. Jessica is now criticizing Bosh and the other celebrities in the Xarelto commercial, stating their claims are “full of crap.”

While trying to treat her irregular heartbeat, Jessica’s doctor prescribed her Xarelto to prevent clots. However, when she got her next period she started bleeding uncontrollably. Jessica was rushed to the emergency room, where she needed two pints of blood in a transfusion.

Jessica has since filed a Xarelto lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer Pharmaceuticals. The manufacturing companies responded to lawsuits like Jessica’s by giving a statement that all blood thinners carry the risk of bleeding, and the Xarelto prescription information warns of this possibility.

The drug companies also argue that Xarelto’s benefits outweigh any risks the drug could potentially have.

Bosh has not commented on the current Xarelto litigation.

Despite promoting the benefits of the medication, Bosh was forced to sit out part of the 2015-2016 season due to issues reportedly related to his blood clots and use of blood thinning medication. Bosh and the Miami Heat remain at an impasse over whether or when he will return to the court.

Meanwhile, thousands of injured patients like Jessica are filing Xarelto lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturers. Many of the Xarelto lawsuits are consolidated in a Louisiana federal court.