A widower recently filed a blood thinner medication lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare, alleging his wife died as a result of her treatment with Xarelto.

This blood thinner medication lawsuit is joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of other claims alleging serious Xarelto bleeding complications.

Plaintiff Wesley B. filed this blood thinner medication lawsuit on behalf of his deceased wife Theresa B., who allegedly died due to bleeding complications related to the drug Xarelto. This new generation anticoagulant is typically prescribed to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation and who are at high risk for stroke. Anticoagulant medications help reduce that risk.

Xarelto and other blood thinners work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism, which increases efficiency in blood flow. However, this also inhibits the body’s ability recovery ability in cases of internal bleeding, which can become potentially fatal if not treated.

Up until 2018, Xarelto did not have an approved reversal agent to implement in cases of uncontrollable internal bleeding. This reportedly put numerous patients at risk for potentially fatal internal bleeding incidents, which resulted in death for some patients.

This was allegedly the case with Theresa, who was prescribed Xarelto for typical treatment purposes. According to the blood thinner medication lawsuit, Theresa had been prescribed Xarelto on Oct. 26, 2012, and only been able to use the drug up until Jan. 2, 2013.

On the last day of her prescription, Theresa reportedly suffered a serious gastrointestinal bleeding attack and had to be hospitalized. Even with this emergency intervention, Theresa eventually died from these injuries just two days later on Jan. 4, 2013.

Wesley filed this blood thinner medication lawsuit soon after his wife’s death, alleging that the pharmaceutical companies failed to provide proper disclosures about the risk of life-threatening bleeding.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011, which was one year after Pradaxa was released in the United States. This is significant because Pradaxa was the first medication to be released for anticoagulant purposes since warfarin in the 1960s, and it provided patients with a new treatment option for the first time in decades.

Pradaxa and other new generation blood thinners are marketed to be more convenient than warfarin, with companies focusing on the single dose prescription feature. In contrast to warfarin, Xarelto and other newer blood thinners can be prescribed in a single dose and do not require frequent doctor visits.

However, up until the release of the antidote Andexxa in 2018, Xarelto did not have an approved bleeding antidote to implement in case of uncontrollable bleeding. Even though these bleeding complications can be potentially fatal for patients, patients claim Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare allegedly failed to adequately warn the general public. According to Wesley’s blood thinner medication lawsuit, Theresa would not have agreed to take Xarelto if she had been aware of the risk.

Wesley’s blood thinner medication lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining an MDL, Wesley’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid issues like conflicting rulings from different judges.

Wesley is seeking multiple damages in his blood thinner medication lawsuit, including counts of wrongful death, negligence, and failure to warn.

This Blood Thinner Medication Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-07652-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.