Bayer HealthCare and Johnson & Johnson are facing a growing number of product liability claims alleging serious complications, including Xarelto hematoma in a recent case.

This alleged case of Xarelto hematoma is joining growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) consisting of Xarelto lawsuits describing incidents of potentially fatal internal bleeding.

This Xarelto lawsuit was filed by a man from Nevada, alleging he developed Xarelto hematoma soon after his prescription started. Plaintiff Karl R. says he was prescribed Xarelto to treat his atrial fibrillation — a typical treatment purpose for this medication.

Xarelto is a new generation anticoagulant that is meant to reduce the risk of blood clot attacks in patients. Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism to increase efficiency in the circulation system.

However, this can also affect the body’s ability to self recover from minor internal bleeding incidents. These incidents can quickly become fatal if emergency treatment is not implemented, but many patients say they were unaware of this risk at the time they were prescribed the medication.

Karl says that he too was unaware of the bleeding risk associated with the drug when he agreed to his Xarelto treatment regimen. During the course of his prescription, he says he followed all instructions and physician’s advice and had no reason to be wary of potentially fatal internal bleeding events.

According to the Xarelto lawsuit, Karl had to be hospitalized on May 24, 2017, after he suddenly became unable to walk. While hospitalized, Karl was reportedly diagnosed with severe Xarelto hematoma and his prescription was discontinued.

Even though Karl survived his ordeal, he says he continues to suffer from long term complications that were caused by the Xarelto hematoma, and opted to file legal action after discovering other patients experienced similar injuries.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011, which was one year after Pradaxa entered the market. The release of Pradaxa was significant because it was the first medication to be released for anticoagulant purposes since warfarin in the 1960s.

According to marketing materials, Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants differ from warfarin for their convenience, with Johnson & Johnson and Bayer emphasizing their drug’s efficiency and convenient single dose prescription feature.

According to the drug companies, Xarelto patients do not have to undergo frequent doctor appointments for dose adjustments. However, Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulents  did not have an approved bleeding antidote for years. It was not until mid-2018 that Xarelto bleeding antidote Andexxa was approved in the United States, which reportedly helps dissipate the risk of uncontrollable internal bleeding.

Even though Xarelto patients did not have a bleeding antidote for years, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson allegedly advertised this medication without highlighting the risk of bleeding allegedly associated with the drug, according to Karl. Karl states he would not have agreed to take the anticoagulant if he had known about potential drug side effects like Xarelto hematoma.

Karl’s Xarelto lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will be streamlined through the litigation process and avoid problems like conflicting rulings from differing judges. Karl is seeking a multitude of damages in his Xarelto lawsuit, including counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08015-EEF-MBN, in the United States District for the Eastern District of Louisiana.