The risk of developing a Xarelto GI bleed is a significant concern among patients, as it could be potentially fatal without emergency intervention.

Even though Xarelto GI bleed is a major concern, patients accuse Bayer HealthCare and Johnson & Johnson of failing to include sufficient information regarding this risk on the drug’s warning label. The companies are now facing major litigation backlash.

Numerous patients have complained of suffering a Xarelto GI bleed, which has already spurred the formation of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) against the drug manufacturers. One of the most recent claims alleging a potentially fatal Xarelto GI bleed incident was filed by a woman from Tennessee, who had been prescribed the anticoagulant for typical treatment purposes.

Plaintiff Cassandra O. says she was prescribed Xarelto in February 2017 and had taken it according to prescription instructions, but still reportedly suffered multiple incidents of Xarelto GI bleed. Due to these internal bleeding incidents, Cassandra says she had to be hospitalized for an extended period of time and had to undergo chronic medical treatment.

Cassandra opted to file legal action against Bayer and Johnson & Johnson, after discovering other patients had allegedly suffered instances of Xarelto GI bleed.

Xarelto Internal Bleeding Complications

Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by hindering the body’s ability to clot blood. This makes Xarelto and other anticoagulants good treatment options for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation and for those at high risk for blood clot attacks.

However, this treatment mechanism also inhibits the body’s self recovery mechanism in cases of internal bleeding.

New Gen Anticoagulants

Xarelto is a new generation anticoagulant that entered the market in 2011, one year after Pradaxa. This was significant as Pradaxa was the first medication to be approved for blood thinning treatment since warfarin in the 1960s.

New generation anticoagulants proved to be quite popular with the patient population. In contrast to warfarin, the new generation anticoagulants can be prescribed in a single dose and do not require patients to undergo frequent dose adjustments from their doctors. However, these new generation anticoagulants lacked a reversal agent for years.

It was only very recently in 2018 that Andexxa was approved to treat internal bleeding incidents in Xarelto patients. Patients did not have a drug that could reverse or slow a Xarelto bleed for the first seven years the drug was on the market.

Minor internal bleeding incidents can become potentially fatal under these conditions, but J&J subsidiary Janssen and Bayer allegedly failed to include this information on the drug’s warning label, patients claim.

At all times relevant, Cassandra says she was relying on the marketing statements and product information provided by the companies. Cassandra states she would not have agreed to take the anticoagulant, if she had been aware of the risks surrounding Xarelto GI bleed.

Cassandra’s Xarelto Lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims from patients who allegedly suffered similar instances of Xarelto GI bleed. By joining a Xarelto MDL, Cassandra’s Xarelto lawsuit will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid issues like conflicting rulings from different judges. Her Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-12333-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.