Bayer HealthCare and Johnson & Johnson are facing growing multidistrict litigation from numerous claimants alleging Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding.

One of the most recent claims comes from a wrongful death suit filed on behalf of a deceased Pennsylvania woman who allegedly died of Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding complications.

Plaintiffs Davin R. and Tamira H. are filing this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of Pearl G. after she allegedly suffered fatal Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding.

Pearl had reportedly been prescribed Xarelto for typical treatment purposes on Aug. 11, 2015, taking the medication according to prescription instructions and following doctor’s advice. Even with this diligence, Pearl still suffered Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding on May 10, 2016, and received emergency hospital treatment.

Soon after her alleged Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding, Pearl died of complications relating to secondary gastrointestinal bleeding and septic shock on June 6, 2016.

Davin and Tamira filed legal action soon after Pearl’s death, alleging the pharmaceutical giants either knew or should have known about potential Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding.

Overview of Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011 and was released as a joint effort between Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare. This medication was the second drug to be approved for anticoagulant purposes since the release of warfarin in the 1960s, with Pradaxa being the first in 2010.

After Boehringer Ingelheim successfully released Pradaxa in the United States, other pharmaceutical companies quickly worked to break into the lucrative anticoagulant market. Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism to increase efficiency in circulation.

However, this also prevents the body from recovering from monitor internal bleeding injuries, which causes the need for emergency treatment. While anticoagulants have the same basic function, warfarin is one of the only anticoagulants with a readily available reversal agent in the case of internal bleeding.

Five years after the release of Pradaxa, Boehringer Ingelheim managed to produce and get a reversal agent approved for Pradaxa. For years, warfarin had been the only case with an anticoagulant bleeding remedy in the form of vitamin K. Xarelto does not have an approved bleeding antidote at this time, which was allegedly not mentioned on the drug’s warning label.

Davin and Tamira are filing this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit in multidistrict litigation no. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining an MDL, their Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid issues like conflicting rulings from different judges.

At all times relevant, the plaintiffs say, Pearl had used the medication according to its prescription instructions and did not use it outside of its intended purpose. Davin and Tamira stated that Pearl would never have used the medication if she had known about potentially fatal Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding.

This Xarelto Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-10129-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.