On behalf of her deceased father, a woman has filed a Xarelto wrongful bleeding death lawsuit against the manufacturers of the blood thinner medication.

Plaintiff Carolyn Rose K. filed her Xarelto wrongful bleeding death lawsuit in Louisiana federal court as the administrator of her father Walter L.’s estate. Her claim is part of the multidistrict litigation in progress against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and their related companies.

Xarelto is one of several new generation oral anticoagulant medications that have been developed in the past several years.

Xarelto is primarily used to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients suffering from an abnormal heart rhythm condition known as atrial fibrillation. It is also used to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, as well as to prevent blood clots for those undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery.

Xarelto Wrongful Bleeding Death Lawsuit Alleges Failure to Warn

Carolyn’s Xarelto lawsuit states that the makers of Xarelto failed to warn patients, physicians and the medical community about the risks associated with the use of the drug. It further states that the manufacturers “negligently and improperly failed to perform sufficient tests, if any, on humans using Xarelto during clinical trials.”

“As a result of the foregoing acts and omissions, [Walter] suffered serious and dangerous side effects including inter alia life-threatening bleeding, as well as other severe and personal injuries which are permanent and lasting in nature, physical pain and mental anguish, diminished enjoyment of life, expenses for hospitalization and medical treatment, and loss of earnings,” according to Carolyn.

Walter was initially prescribed Xarelto around October 2013 and took the medication up until his death in February 2015. On or about Feb. 5, 2015, Walter experienced a gastrointestinal bleed and died less than a week later.

The lawsuit claims that “[t]he death of [Walter] was caused by his ingestion of Xarelto.”

The Xarelto wrongful bleeding death lawsuit goes on to allege that the studies that were performed as part of the clinical trials for the drug were flawed, and the information gained from these studies was not properly shared with patients, physicians and the medical community.

One of the main concerns with Xarelto that was noted in the Carolyn’s claim is that the manufacturers “failed to disclose in the ‘Warnings’ Section that there is no drug, agent or means to reverse the anticoagulation effects of Xarelto.”

With the older anticoagulant drug, warfarin (Coumadin), fresh frozen plasma or intravenous vitamin K could be administered to patients to reverse the bleeding effects of the drug.

There is no such antidote or reversal agent currently available for Xarelto, and patients who experience internal bleeding as a result of the use of the drug have no medication available to them to stop the bleeding.

Carolyn has brought forth a number of counts against the defendants including negligence, defective manufacturing, strict liability for design defect and failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and deceit, and wrongful death.

The plaintiff is seeking economic damages, punitive and/or exemplary damages, and compensatory damages for pain, suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life and other non-economic damages. She is also asking for pre-and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees and costs, and any additional relief as deemed just and proper by the court.

The Xarelto Wrongful Bleeding Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-01186, and is part of the Xarelto MDL, In re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2592, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.