Evidence of severe Xarelto problems, including ischemic stroke, continues to mount.

Xarelto is designed to prevent blood clots, which may lead to stroke, but a number of individuals have now claimed that Xarelto either failed to prevent stroke in themselves or in loved ones, or that Xarelto actually caused a stroke.

If you or a loved one suffered a stroke believed to be the result of taking Xarelto, it is critical to get medical treatment right away.  Immediate ischemic stroke treatment may minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and prevent death.

Ischemic Stroke Treatment

According to the American Heart Association, an ischemic stroke occurs as a result of an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. It accounts for 87 percent of all stroke cases.

The only FDA-approved ischemic stroke treatment is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA, also known as IV rtPA, given through an IV in the arm). IV tPA works by dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood flow. If administered within 3 hours, tPA may improve the chances of recovering from a stroke.

A significant number of stroke victims don’t get to the hospital in time for ischemic stroke treatment; this is why it’s so important to identify a stroke immediately.

Another ischemic stroke treatment option is an endovascular procedure called mechanical thrombectomy, This ischemic stroke treatment is performed by specially trained doctors who try to remove a large blood clot by  sending a wired-caged device called a stent retriever, to the site of the blocked blood vessel in the brain.

The procedure should be done within six hours of acute stroke symptoms, and only after a patient receives tPA ischemic stroke treatment.

Xarelto Stroke Risk

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is a blood thinner, or anticoagulant, developed by Bayer Healthcare and the Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Xarelto was first approved by the FDA in 2011 to reduce the risk of blood clots in patients who recently underwent knee or hip replacement surgery, then approval was expanded later that year as a prophylactic against stroke and dangerous blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Even before Xarelto was approved for patients with atrial fibrillation, the FDA had serious concerns about the possible increased risk of stroke associated with Xarelto.

Other Xarelto problems include uncontrollable bleeding that may become apparent due to symptoms such as coughing up or vomiting blood, headaches, and red or black stool.

Xarelto Litigation

Over the last few years, a growing number of Xarelto lawsuits have been brought by injured patients and their surviving relatives. One of these lawsuits was filed by the daughter of a Florida man who died from a stroke four days after he began taking Xarelto.

The Xarelto stroke lawsuit alleges Xarelto’s once-a-day dosing leaves patients vulnerable to blood clots and strokes for a portion of the day. Other anticoagulants are taken twice a day to improve the balance of the amount of the drug in the body throughout the day.

The majority of Xarelto lawsuits center on accusations that the drug maker should have mandated or at least recommended regular blood monitoring with Xarelto, in order for doctors to adjust doses to avoid adverse bleeding or Xarelto stroke events. Claimants allege that the pharmaceutical companies once again put their financial bottom line ahead of consumer safety, by touting Xarelto as a safer blood thinner that does not require monitoring.

All federally-filed Xarelto injury cases have been centralized before Judge Eldon E. Fallon in Louisiana District Court. The Xarelto multidistrict litigation consolidates similar claims in one court to allow both sides to share in discovery, and help avoid the incidence of inconsistent pretrial rulings.

Xarelto lawyers across the country continue to review cases of patients who were injured while taking the blood thinner to determine if they are eligible to join the growing federal litigation. If you have suffered a Xarelto stroke or lost a loved one to Xarelto problems, you could be owed compensation for your medical expenses and other damages.