Plaintiff Eva G., a California citizen and resident, has filed a lawsuit against Janssen Research and Development, the researcher, developer, manufacturer, and distributor of Xarelto anticoagulant medication, after she experienced a Xarelto bleeding injury

This Xarelto bleeding injury lawsuit was filed on Sept. 27, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, as part of a multidistrict litigation over bleeding side effects linked to Xarelto.

Eva is a citizen and resident of Kern County, California. She was prescribed Xarelto from May 2015 through December 2015 for the preventative treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE).

DVT is a condition whereby blood clots are formed in the lower extremities and, at times, break off and travel throughout the body.

These clots mey develop into PE when they lodge in the lungs or around the heart, where they can be especially dangerous. These clots can cause complete respiratory arrest or heart attack. Xarelto is a blood-thinning medication that is designed to help prevent these situations.

According to the lawsuit narrative, Eva experienced a Xarelto bleeding injury that began as a vaginal bleeding event on or about Dec. 15, 2015. This event was non-reversible and was life-threatening.

The plaintiff says she incurred enormous medical bills because of her treatment for this condition and suffered a loss of income and earning power. The event was permanent and lasting in nature and has reduced her ability to enjoy life at full capacity.

Eva G. is bringing the following counts against the defendants: Count One –Negligence; Count Two –Strict Products Liability; Count Three –Breach of Express Warranty; Count Four –Breach of Implied Warranties; Count Five –Fraudulent Misrepresentation; Count Six –Fraudulent Concealment; Count Seven –Negligent Misrepresentation; Count Eight -Fraud and Deceit; and Count Nine –Violation of Consumer Protection Laws.

The plaintiff is asking for compensatory damages in excess of the jurisdictional amount. She asks for consideration regarding the pain and suffering, emotional distress and economic damages she has experienced when an award is determined.

She hopes for pre-judgement and post-judgement interest and the return of all court costs and attorney’s fees.

The History of Xarelto

Xarelto was approved for various blood thinning uses over a six-month period between July and November 2011 by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As part of the approval process, Janssen allegedly provided “cherry-picked” data from three studies known as the ROCKET AF, the RECORD and the EINSTEIN.

Most of these studies did indicate on closer review that the incidence of Xarelto bleeding injury starting in the gastrointestinal tract was greater with Xarelto than with a placebo.

In the legal documentation, the narrative states that the defendants minimized the chances that anyone would experience a Xarelto bleeding injury while on the anticoagulant medication. They promoted their medication as superior to warfarin, a blood-thinning drug that had successfully been used for 60 years.

Janssen stated that, unlike warfarin, Xarelto didn’t need regular blood monitoring or dietary changes. But according to plaintiffs in the Xarelto litigation, the defendants failed to adequately warn that there was no antidote to reverse Xarelto’s anticoagulant effect should a patient experience a Xarelto bleeding injury.

Unlike warfarin, where it was commonly known that a rapid infusion of vitamin K could help in the event of an out-of-control bleeding situation, there was no known antidote to Xarelto.

The Xarelto Bleeding Injury Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-09682-EEF-MBN in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.