Despite serious concerns over Xarelto bleeding, the drug’s makers have created Xarelto “starter packs” due to hit the market this month. Meanwhile, the drug’s makers continue to face legal action over the allegation that Xarelto is unsafe.

Xarelto is a blood thinner or anticoagulant. Anticoagulants are a class of drugs designed to interfere with blood clotting. While blood clotting is a part of the normal healing process, when the process misfires, it can lead to serious medical problems. For example, when a blood clot forms in the blood vessels that feed the brain, the patient can suffer a life-threatening stroke. Anticoagulants like Xarelto are prescribed to patients with a high risk of clot-related problems like stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, and DVTs. However, whenever anticoagulants are administered, they carry the risk of causing medical emergencies of their own, including Xarelto bleeding.

Whenever anticoagulants are administered, there is a chance they can work too well. Some patients taking anticoagulants like Xarelto may suffer from uncontrolled bleeding, situations in which the body cannot stop bleeding, even from minor injuries. This could include minor internal injuries. Older anticoagulants like Warfarin can be “shut off” with a reversal agent if this happens. This means that if a patient suffers an uncontrolled bleeding event, doctors can give the patient a second medication to reverse the effect of the anticoagulant. However, Xarelto has no known reversal agent, a fact which the lawsuits over Xarelto bleeding allege makes the drug more dangerous than older blood thinners.

Despite legal scrutiny over Xarelto bleeding, the drug’s makers are releasing pre-packaged starter packs, 30-day supplies of the drug intended to help patients who are leaving hospitals after stroke or other blood-clot related problems. The starter packs are also designed to help patients transition from a lower starting dose to the standard maintained dose of the drug. These starter packs are designed to make it easier for patients to start taking Xarelto.

Xarelto lawsuits allege that the makers of Xarelto are aware of the risk of life-threatening Xarelto bleeding, and continue to market the drug anyway, endangering the general public. These Xarelto lawsuits allege that patients have suffered Xarelto injuries, usually stemming from uncontrolled bleeding. Xarelto lawsuits have alleged that the drug’s makers have promoted the drug in order to gain a profit, since older, safer anticoagulants that have known reversal agents which happen to have expired patents. Xarelto lawsuits typically seek to recoup the cost of medical care related to Xarelto bleeding, lost wages or lost income potential, legal fees, and compensation for wrongful death.