Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare are facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of numerous claims alleging serious Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents. One of the most recent claims comes from a Virginia woman, alleging she had a serious Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed report.

Plaintiff Bertha G. is filing this Xarelto bleeding lawsuit alleging the pharmaceutical companies failed to adequately warn her of the possibility of a Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident. According to the Xarelto bleeding lawsuit, Bertha had been prescribed the new generation anticoagulant for atrial fibrillation.

Xarelto is a popular blood thinner that was released as a joint effort between Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare, to break into the anticoagulant market. It was approved by the FDA in 2011, which is one year after Pradaxa. Manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim, Pradaxa was the first drug to be released for anticoagulant purposes since warfarin in the 1960s.

Anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism to increase efficiency of blood flow, ultimately preventing blood clot attacks. However, this treatment mechanism can also be problematic for patients, as it inhibits the body’s natural mechanism for getting internal bleeding under control once it starts.

Atrial fibrillation is a typical treatment purpose for Xarelto, which also prescribed to patients at high risk for stroke and other blood clot attacks. If used according to prescription instructions and physician advice, Xarelto is an ideal treatment choice for patients at risk for blood clot attacks.

This information was provided to Bertha and her physician by the pharmaceutical companies, which spurred her to start her Xarelto prescription.

Overview of Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleed Incident

Bertha says she began taking Xarelto on May 15, 2013 and stayed on the medication until Feb. 1, 2014, on which day she reportedly suffered a Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident. Bertha had to undergo numerous blood transfusions and had to be hospitalized for several days, and was instructed to stop taking Xarelto by her physician.

Bertha opted to file this Xarelto bleeding lawsuit, after discovering the drug’s alleged correlation with uncontrollable internal bleeding incidents. Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants have been linked to numerous cases of uncontrollable internal bleeding incidents, with patients complaining there are no readily available reversal agents.

While Pradaxa recently got its own bleeding antidote in 2015, Xarelto is yet to receive one. It is important to note that Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants gained popularity through single dose prescriptions, compared to warfarin that required frequent adjustments. This single dose feature has allegedly resulted in numerous Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents.

Bertha is filing her Xarelto bleeding lawsuit in MDL No. 2592, consisting of claims alleging potentially fatal Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents. By joining an MDL, Bertha’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid issues like conflicting rulings from different judges. At all times relevant, Bertha alleges the pharmaceutical companies failed to warn her and her physician against uncontrollable internal bleeding.

Bertha states that she never would have taken the anticoagulant, if she had known about the possibility of Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents.

This Xarelto Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-17526, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.