A widow from Hawaii has filed a lawsuit against Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Pfizer Inc. claiming that the companies’ oral anticoagulant drug, Eliquis, caused her husband to suffer internal bleeding, specifically a brain bleed that led to his untimely death.

Plaintiff Patricia S. filed the Eliquis lawsuit after her husband Thomas S. suffered a fatal brain bleed, claiming his wrongful death was initiated by his ingestion of Eliquis.

Thomas was taking Eliquis for atrial fibrillation, a condition where the heart rhythm is abnormal and can lead to serious complications like stroke and heart failure.

Patricia’s Eliquis lawsuit claimed that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer concealed their knowledge of Eliquis’ defects from her husband, the FDA, the public in general and the medical community, including Thomas’ prescribing doctor.

The claim stated, “After being on Eliquis for a short period of time, Mr. Segovia experienced a severe hemorrhagic stroke and ultimately died as a result of these injuries.”

Thomas was prescribed Eliquis in  October 2013 and took the medication until 2013 after he had been taken off the blood thinner Coumadin and switched to the new prescription. On December 20, 2013, Thomas suffered a hemorrhagic stroke (brain bleed) which ultimately culminated in his death on July 27, 2014, according to the claim.

The Eliquis lawsuit asserts, “As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ conduct, Plaintiff has suffered and incurred damages, both economic and non-economic in nature (including pain, suffering, and loss of consortium, love and affection)” following the death of her husband.

Eliquis Side Effects

Eliquis (apixaban) has been approved for the treatment of atrial fibrillation and to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT), blood clots in the deep veins of the lower body, and pulmonary embolism (PE), a condition where blood clots reach the lungs. Often, DVT leads to the blood clots traveling to the lungs, causing pulmonary embolism.

Eliquis inhibits the body’s normal clotting mechanism, reducing a patient’s risk for clots that can lead to severe complications.

Eliquis side effects mainly focus around an increased risk of internal bleeding. The internal bleeding can occur inside the gastrointestinal system, or in Thomas’ case, can be a brain bleed leading to hemorrhagic stroke.

All oral anticoagulants come with an increased risk of internal bleeding simply because the mechanism by which the drugs work is to block the body’s normal clotting response. However, with Coumadin (warfarin), an older anticoagulant drug, there is an antidote to stop the bleeding.  Fresh frozen plasma and intravenous vitamin K restored blood clotting mechanisms back to normal quickly when needed.

With Eliquis, no such antidote or reversal agent exists to stop or control the bleeding. Hospital personnel must try to stabilize patients to their best of their ability while Eliquis side effects wear off and the body’s clotting is restored. For some, this wait time is too long, and can lead to serious complications and death.

Filing an Eliquis Lawsuit

If you or a loved one has suffered complications from taking Eliquis, such as internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleed, brain bleed or hemorrhagic stroke, you may be eligible to file a legal claim.  An experienced attorney can assist you by reviewing your case and discussing the legal options that are available to you.

The Eliquis Lawsuit is Case No 1:15-00519-DKW-RLP, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.