A grieving grandson has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Xarelto, a popular blood thinner medication, alleging their pharmaceutical drug led to the death of his grandmother.

Plaintiff Todd N. filed the complaint against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, parent company Johnson & Johnson and Bayer Healthcare as part of the larger multidistrict litigation currently in progress focusing specifically on Xarelto litigation.

Due to the high volume of lawsuits filed against the makers of Xarelto and the similar accusations included within the complaints, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the lawsuits in a single federal court in Louisiana under Judge Fallon.

Allegations Raised in Xarelto Lower GI Bleed Lawsuit

Todd states that his grandmother June used Xarelto, a medication used to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation, as well as to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

June used Xarelto from July 2012 to December 2014 to treat atrial fibrillation. “Upon information and belief, as a direct and proximate result of the use of Defendants Xarelto, [June] experienced a lower gastrointestinal bleed ultimately leading to her death on or about 12/19/2014, as well as severe pain and suffering,” the Xarelto lower GI bleed lawsuit states.

The complaint goes on to say that June “suffered serious and dangerous side effects including, life-threatening bleeding, as well as other severe and personal injuries which are permanent and lasting in nature, physical pain and mental anguish, including, but not limited to, diminished enjoyment of life, expenses for hospitalization and medical treatment, and loss of earnings.”

The Xarelto lower GI bleed lawsuit alleges that the studies conducted to support the safety of Xarelto before its release onto the market demonstrated that patients had increased bleeding risks.

The lawsuit states that the company is used the results of the studies to promote the drug stating the positive results of the studies.

“However, Defendants’ promotional materials failed to similarly highlight the increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and bleeding that required transfusion, among other serious bleeding concerns,” the lawsuit states.

The Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit also states that there is no antidote to Xarelto. If a patient experiences uncontrolled internal bleeding as a result of Xarelto use, there is no way to reduce the blood thinning mechanisms of the drug.

With warfarin, the standard oral anticoagulant drug used to before the introduction of Xarelto, had available antidotes to restore the body’s natural clotting mechanisms so the body could stop its own bleeds. Fresh frozen plasma and intravenous vitamin K could be administered in the hospital to reverse the blood thinner’s effects.

“The original U.S. label approved when the drug was first market in the in the U.S. did not contain a warning regarding the lack of antidote, but instead only mentioned this important fact in the overdosage section,” the complaint reads.

Todd has brought forth a number of counts against the manufacturers including negligence, strict products liability, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and deceit, violation of consumer protection laws and wrongful death.

Todd is seeking compensatory damages, economic damages, punitive and/or exemplary damages, pre-and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees and costs and any additional relief deemed just and proper by the Court.

The Xarelto Lower GI Bleed Lawsuit is filed within the Xarelto MDL In Re: Xarelto (rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2592, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.