The process surrounding the Xarelto lawsuits filed in multidistrict litigation is now at the stage of scheduling the first four bellwether trials.

Judge Eldon Fallon of Eastern Louisiana presides over the MDL, which consists of over 2,800 Xarelto lawsuits. Each of these bellwether Xarelto lawsuits will help plaintiffs and attorneys gauge how juries will react to the testimony and evidence provided, which will most likely be repeated throughout the process.

These claims allege serious Xarelto complications, describing uncontrollable internal bleeding injuries that required emergency intervention. The first two bellwether Xarelto lawsuits were taken from a pool of 40 cases selected for the bellwether trials.

The bellwether pool was formed due to Judge Fallon’s order, made in Jan. 11, 2016, so the bellwether trials could be heard in 2017.

The first two bellwether Xarelto lawsuits are currently scheduled for Feb. 06, 2017 and March 13, 2017, with the second pair set for April 24, 2017 and May 30, 2017.

While the outcome of these Xarelto lawsuits will not be binding on other claims, they may influence the outcome of future Xarelto settlements. The majority of the claims focus on Xarelto complications: gastrointestinal bleeding, stroke, and brain hemorrhages.

The Xarelto lawsuits allege manufacturers Bayer Healthcare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, had failed to warn patients against dangerous Xarelto complications.

The claimants also allege the companies knew of the risks associated with Xarelto side effects, but did not include them on the drug’s warning label.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011 to be a prevention treatment option, for adult patients suffering from atrial fibrillation and are at high risk for stroke. As a member of the new generation anticoagulants, Xarelto was meant to be direct competition to earlier new anticoagulant Pradaxa and the original anticoagulant Warfarin.

Like other anticoagulants, Xarelto works by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism and dilating the blood vessels.  This drug is meant to make the circulation process easier, and to reduce the chances of blood clot formation.

However by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism, the risk of internal bleeding increases significantly. While most internal bleeding incidents resolve themselves, Xarelto side effects often compound the internal bleeding and cause the need for emergency treatment.

At this time, Warfarin is the only anticoagulant with a widespread available bleeding antidote that is vitamin K. Xarelto has no such remedy, making the bleeding effects of Xarelto very dangerous.

MDL Formed to Streamline Xarelto Lawsuits

Even though Xarelto side effects can make internal bleeding events potentially fatal, Janssen and Bayer allegedly excluded this information on the drug’s warning label.

When there are numerous lawsuits of similar nature like Xarelto bleeding events, multidistrict litigations are often formed to streamline the litigation process and to preserve legal resources.

Currently there are nearly 3,000 cases in which Xarelto patients allege that using the blood thinner drug caused them negative side effects.

These four Xarelto bellwether trials are expected to give defendants, plaintiffs, and their attorneys some important information on how jurors respond to testimony and evidence related to the drug’s use and side effects. That information will be crucial to predicting the likely course of future trials and estimated settlement amounts.

Patients who suffered adverse Xarelto side effects may be able to file their own claim, to seek compensation for their injuries. Potential claimants should contact a specialized lawyer, to determine if they have a Xarelto lawsuit.

The Xarelto Multidistrict Litigation is In Re: Xarelto Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2592 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.