Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare are facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of claims alleging serious complications and even death from Xarelto. One of the most recent claims comes from a grieving widow, alleging her husband’s death from Xarelto was completely preventable and the companies did not properly warn about the relevant risks.

Alabama plaintiff Sylvia M. opted to file legal action against the pharmaceutical companies, after discovering other claimants may have lost loved ones due to death from Xarelto. Sylvia is filing this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her late husband Oyd M., who had been reportedly prescribed Xarelto for typical treatment purposes.

Sylvia says Oyd had been prescribed Xarelto on Dec. 20, 2015 to treat deep vein thrombosis, which is a common ailment needing anticoagulant treatment. Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body clotting mechanism, which increases the efficiency in blood flow.

While this prevents blood clot formation, it also inhibits the body’s ability to recover from internal bleeding injuries. Oyd had allegedly experienced these problems when he was admitted to the hospital for respiratory failure on March 20 2016.

Even with close medical monitoring and emergency treatment, Sylvia says, Oyd eventually succumbed to death from Xarelto on April 18, 2016 and left Sylvia to file legal action on his behalf.

Sylvia alleges her husband’s death from Xarelto was caused by the companies’ negligence and failure to warn, and that her husband’s life would not have ended so abruptly if not for their anticoagulant.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011, and was released a joint effort between Bayer HealthCare and Johnson & Johnson. This drug entered the market the year following the release of Pradaxa, which was the first drug to be released for blood thinning treatment purposes since Warfarin in the 1960s.

Xarelto and other blood thinners recently released are known as new generation anticoagulants, which are meant to compete against each other and Warfarin. Xarelto and other newer anticoagulants quickly overtook Warfarin in popularity for their single dose prescription feature, which did not require medical monitoring or frequent doctor visits.

While this feature made these medications more convenient, new generation anticoagulants had lacked a vital safety feature of a reversal agent for years. Warfarin patients experiencing internal bleeding injuries take vitamin K to resolve the problem.

Xarelto currently lacks a reversal agent, requiring patients to seek out emergency medical assistance in the case of internal bleeding. Even though Xarelto internal bleeding can be fatal to patients, Johnson & Johnson and Bayer allegedly failed to warn the general public about this risk.

Sylvia’s Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims also alleging death from Xarelto and other serious complications. The MDL allows Sylvia and other plaintiffs to avoid potential problems, like conflicting rulings from different judges, and resulting delays in the litigation process.

The Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit is seeking multiple damages for negligence and failure to warn. The plaintiff alleges that her husband would not have agreed to take the medication if he had known death from Xarelto was a possibility.

This Xarelto Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-02300-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.