The global anticoagulant leader Xarelto is under scrutiny once again as an Alabama resident files lawsuit against its manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutical, alleging the drug causes life-threatening internal bleeding.

Plaintiff Catherine C. claims she experienced irreversible gastrointestinal Xarelto bleeding after using the medication for only one month and that she was not adequately warned of the dangerous side effects it could cause.

The Xarelto lawsuit claims that under the direction of her physician, Catherine was encouraged to take Xarelto to treat pulmonary embolism (PE) but instead of helping the issue, the plaintiff reports severe and permanent personal injuries occurred due to Xarelto bleeding. The plaintiff further claims that the defendants “under-reported, underestimated and downplayed the serious dangers of Xarelto.”

Catherine states that had she known about the real risks involved with taking the drug Xarelto, she never would have purchased or used it.

The Xarelto lawsuit seeks to award more than $75,000 in physical and emotional damages sustained by Catherine.

Xarelto Risks

The blood thinner Xarelto was FDA approved in 2011 to help reduce the risk of forming blood clots after surgery. The defendants also claim that taking Xarelto not only helps treat pulmonary embolisms but also helps “reduce the risk of the condition occurring again.” However, the plaintiff reports that the representations made from the manufacturer are in fact false. And the growing numbers of Xarelto “Serious Adverse Event” (SAE) reports being filed with the FDA seem to agree with her.

At the end of its first full year on the market, more than 2,000 SAE reports of Xarelto complications were filed with the FDA. Of those reported events, 151 resulted in death.

Some of the side effects of Xarelto taking include but are not limited to:

• Deep vein thrombosis
• Pulmonary embolism
• Abdominal bleeding
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Brain hemorrhaging
• Abnormal liver function
• Reduced platlet levels
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhaging in the eyes
• Low Blood Pressure
• Nose Bleeds
• Rectal Bleeding
• Headache
• Muscle Pain
• Rapid Heartbeat
• Bruising
• Edema

Failure to Warn

The Xarelto lawsuit alleges that the defendant “failed to warn and disclose to patients that there is no agent to reverse the anticoagulation effects of Xarelto and that if serious bleeding occurs, it may be irreversible, permanently disabling and life threatening.”

According to the defendant’s website, more than 11 million prescriptions have been written for Xarelto in the U.S. alone — prescriptions that, just like the one Catherine was encouraged to take to treat pulmonary embolism, puts patients at risk for uncontrollable Xarelto bleeding.

Catherine believes the manufactures were negligent in their warnings associated with the use of Xarelto. “It was both technically and economically feasible to provide a safer alternative product that would have prevented the harm suffered by the Plaintiff,” her Xarelto lawsuit says.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Case 4:15-cv-00474-VEH in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Alabama.