Bayer HealthCare and Johnson & Johnson are facing intense public scrutiny over an increasing number of alleged incidents of Xarelto internal bleeding injury.

Many cases of Xarelto internal bleeding injury spur legal action from patients, after discovering the companies either knew or should have known about the potentially fatal side effects their drug could cause. One of the most recent Xarelto injury claims was filed by a woman from California, alleging the new generation anticoagulant had caused potentially fatal complications.

Plaintiff Donna W. filed legal action after discovering other patients had suffered similar incidents of potentially fatal internal bleeding.

Xarelto is typically prescribed to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, and for patients who are at high risk for stroke. According to her Xarelto lawsuit, Donna was prescribed the anticoagulant on Feb. 26, 2016, for typical treatment purposes.  However, it was not long after Donna started her prescription that she suffered an alleged Xarelto internal bleeding injury.

Anticoagulant Injuries

Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by shutting down the body’s clotting mechanism, eliminating the risk of blood clot complications and increasing circulation efficiency. However this also inhibits the body’s ability to recover from internal bleeding injuries, which can quickly become fatal if not treated promptly.

This was allegedly the case with Donna, who allegedly suffered a Xarelto internal bleeding injury on Feb. 28, 2016. According to the Xarelto lawsuit, Donna’s physician ended her prescription on Feb. 29, 2016 due to the severity of the Xarelto internal bleeding injury;  she was hospitalized until March 8, 2016.

Donna believes Bayer and Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen were aware that Xarelto posed serious risks to patients.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

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

In contrast to new generation anticoagulants, warfarin patients had to undergo multiple dose adjustments with frequent doctor visits. While Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants are more convenient, they lacked an approved bleeding antidote for years. It wasn’t until just recently, in May 2018, that a Xarelto reversal agent, Andexxa, was approved and is expected to be generally available in early 2019.

Even though a Xarelto internal bleeding injury can be potentially deadly, patients say Bayer and Johnson & Johnson allegedly failed to disclose the severity of these risks to the public.

At all times relevant, Donna says she only used Xarelto for its intended purpose and had followed all prescription instructions and medical advice. The Xarelto lawsuit also points out that Donna and her physician had relied on the marketing materials and product information provided by Bayer and Johnson & Johnson.

Donna states she would not have agreed to use the anticoagulant if she had been aware of the serious risks surrounding a potential Xarelto internal bleeding injury.

Donna’s Xarelto lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will be streamlined through the litigation process and avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges. Her Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08321-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana.