A Florida husband and wife filed a Xarelto lawsuit and have joined the Xarelto multidistrict litigation (MDL) alleging severe Xarelto bleeding side effects.

Plaintiff Ronald L. used Xarelto for its intended use: “to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to reduce the risk of blood clots when undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery.” Following Xarelto use, Ronald suffered dangerous gastrointestinal bleeding.  His wife, Grace L., filed the Xarelto lawsuit with claims of loss of consortium, or loss of intimacy with a spouse.

Ronald used Xarelto for approximately six months during the period of Feb. 1, 2014 until Aug. 11, 2014 when he suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding. Xarelto bleeding required Ronald to be hospitalized and undergo blood transfusions, according to the Xarelto lawsuit.

The Xarelto lawsuit claims that the defendants, Xarelto manufacturers Janssen Research and Development and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, failed to adequately test Xarelto before releasing it on the market. Ronald and Grace are just two of hundreds of individuals who have filed Xarelto injury lawsuits against the manufacturers after suffering from dangerous Xarelto side effects including gastrointestinal bleeding or pulmonary bleeding.

Xarelto Side Effects

Xarelto is a Factor Xa inhibitor and part of the new generation of anticoagulant medications. It was marketed as an alternative to warfarin, the leading anticoagulant for decades. Warfarin required diet changes and additional monitoring. Xarelto is a pill that a patient could take once a day, though some have questioned the efficacy of this dosing schedule.

The primary danger that has arisen in Factor Xa medications is the lack of a bleeding antidote. Warfarin could cause gastrointestinal bleeding or pulmonary bleeding, but there was an antidote that would prevent the damage from being extensive. There is currently no such antidote for Xarelto bleeding. This fact has allegedly not been adequately displayed on the Xarelto warning label. The defendants “only mentioned this important fact in the overdosage section,” according to the Xarelto lawsuit.

While a Xarelto antidote is currently being developed to prevent Xarelto injury, over seven million individuals have already used the drug and have been put at risk of suffering from severe Xarelto bleeding.

This Xarelto lawsuit is “a potential tag-along action” seeking to join a growing Xarelto MDL. MDLs are often used when multiple complaints have been filed against the same defendant(s) in order to smooth the legal process and avoid repetition.

This Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-00132, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division. The Xarelto MDL is In Re: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2592, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.