Kim Gale  |  May 22, 2017

Category: Legal News

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xareltoAllegations of Xarelto GI bleeding have prompted a lawsuit against medical giants Bayer and Johnson & Johnson.

Plaintiff Winester M. alleges began taking Xarelto (rivaroxaban) in early April 2014 to prevent pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis. Xarelto is an anticoagulant, also known as a blood thinner.

She developed “life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding” around May 22, 2015, according to the complaint. She endured a blood transfusion in efforts to stop the bleeding.

Doctors told Winester to never take Xarelto again. According to the Xarelto GI bleeding lawsuit, she suffers “exhaustion, distress, pain and mental anguish” as a result of her injuries.

The drug’s makers marketed Xarelto as a safe and effective medication, but “knew or should have known that Xarelto caused unreasonably dangerous side effects which may users would be unable to remedy by any means,” says the filed complaint.

Xarelto GI Bleeding Risks Allegedly Hidden

Introduced in the U.S. in 2011, Xarelto belongs to a class of drugs called New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs). Pradaxa and Eliquis belong to this class as well. The NOACs have been promoted as a newer, glossier alternative to warfarin (Coumadin) because the NOACs only have to be taken once a day and no blood monitoring is required.

Uncontrollable bleeding can be a problem with any anticoagulant in the event of accident or injury, but warfarin has an antidote that stops its blood-thinning properties from continuing. Because warfarin can have its action reversed in an emergency, it has been used as a relatively safe medication to prevent stroke and systemic embolism for the past 60 years.

The lawsuit claims Winester’s severe Xarelto GI bleeding was harder to control because there is no antidote for Xarelto.

According to the lawsuit, “the Defendants’ labeling did not address the increased risk for serious and fatal bleeding, despite the fact that the information listed on their website originating from the ROCKET AF clinical trial sponsored by Defendants states that in comparison to warfarin, patients taking Xarelto have more gastrointestinal bleeds and need more transfusions.”

This information was not included in Xarelto’s boxed warning on its label, the plaintiff says.

Xarelto’s makers mass-marketed the drug through multi-media advertising efforts “with no regard to the accuracy and repercussions of their misleading advertising in favor of increasing sales,” alleges the Xarelto GI bleeding lawsuit.

A print ad in a 2013 issue of WebMD magazine resulted in the FDA sending a letter to Xarelto because the ad allegedly was “false or misleading because it minimizes the risks associated with Xarelto and makes a misleading claim.” The ad allegedly conflicted with the FDA-approved product labeling because the ad stated “there are no dosage adjustments.”

The Xarelto GI bleeding lawsuit contends the massive marketing efforts allowed the drug companies to make huge profits because Xarelto costs patients an average of $3,000 a year compared to just $200 per year for generic warfarin.

The Xarelto GI Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-048333-EEF-MBN in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The Xarelto attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Xarelto class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Xarelto lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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If you or a loved one took Xarelto (rivaroxaban) and suffered injuries such as uncontrollable internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhaging, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify by filling out the short form below.

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