When a Florida woman began experiencing serious gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms after taking Xarelto, she turned to litigation, alleging that the drug’s manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, failed to adequately warn about the risk of bleeding side effects linked with the medication.

The plaintiff, Anna T., says she began taking Xarelto on June 19, 2016, in order to treat deep vein thrombosis. Anna alleges had only been taking the drug for two days, however, when she suffered from serious gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms on June 21, 2016.

She reports she was taken to the hospital and had to undergo a blood transfusion, and was immediately taken off of Xarelto because of her gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms and injuries.

According to Anna’s lawsuit, her gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms and hospitalization were a direct result of her exposure to Xarelto. However, she claims, she had not been made aware of these risks prior to taking the drug, and had she been warned, she would have chosen a safer alternative instead and avoided these complications entirely.

Anna filed her Xarelto lawsuit on Aug. 30, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including strict liability, manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, fraud, and several others.

Background of Xarelto

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is manufactured by Janssen, a prominent subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. Xarelto entered the U.S. market on July 1, 2011, and is one of a class of drugs known as New Oral Anticoagulants (“NOACs”). These drugs are approved to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism by preventing blood clotting.

Other NOACs include popular anticoagulants Pradaxa and Eliquis. Collectively, these are some of the most popular anticoagulants available on the market.

However, despite the popularity of Xarelto, a growing number of Xarelto lawsuits like this one are being filed over serious complications–as in the case of this plaintiff’s gastrointestinal bleed, allegedly caused by Xarelto. Lawsuits claim that Janssen knew about the Xarelto internal bleeding linked with the drug, yet failed to adequately warn both consumers and the medical community about these Xarelto risks.

While Xarelto is used to prevent often dangerous blood clots, this can in some cases be a problem. Patients taking a blood thinner like Xarelto may be left unable to form life-saving clots in bleeding emergencies, which can cause permanent injury or even death. This is a risk of blood thinners in general, but in most cases, there is an available antidote. Until recently, Xarelto had no such antidote, until Portola Pharmaceuticals developed the Andexxa reversal agent.

Filing a Xarelto Bleeding Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has experienced gastrointestinal bleeding symptoms caused by Xarelto, or even death caused by Xarelto, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

While filing a lawsuit cannot reverse the pain and suffering caused by Xarelto, it can help to compensate for the financial losses from medical expenses and lost wages.

The Gastrointestinal Bleeding Symptoms Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-08236-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.