A new legal complaint has been filed against the manufacturers of the anticoagulant Xarelto in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.

This lawsuit alleges Janssen Research and Development, as well as several affiliated companies such as Johnson and Johnson Inc. and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., should have known about the risks associated with the anticoagulant Xarelto prior to releasing the drug commercially to the American people.

The Plaintiff’s Experience with the Anticoagulant Xarelto

The complainant, Freddie S., filed on Jan. 9, 2018. His claim joins multidistrict litigation (MDL) No. 2592, a consolidation of many individual lawsuits over the side effects of Xarelto.

Freddie is a resident of the state of Delaware, Sussex County. He suffers from atrial fibrillation, a heart condition for which he was prescribed the anticoagulant Xarelto from midsummer 2012 to the end of 2016.

Atrial fibrillation is a cardiac problem resulting in frequent periods of rapid and irregular heartbeats.

The poor blood flow that is a consequence of this diagnosis can allow for the development of blood clots that can travel to the brain and cause stroke. Blood-thinners are just one part of a multi-drug treatment protocol for the condition that helps to ensure blood clots do not form.

According to the narrative of the legal complaint, Freddie’s ingestion of the anticoagulant Xarelto resulted in hospitalization for serious and life-threatening internal gastrointestinal and rectal bleeding. He was treated for these injuries at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital in Seaford, Del.

This hospitalization and the adverse medical events leading to it motivated his physician to remove the anticoagulant Xarelto from his treatment regimen for atrial fibrillation.

The Complainant’s Allegations

Freddie S. is bringing a number of allegations and actions against Janssen Research and Development Inc. and related companies being held accountable. They include: strict liability; manufacturing defect; design defect; failure to warn; negligence; breach of express and implied warranty; negligent misrepresentation; fraud; and violation of Delaware Consumer Protection/Fraud Laws.

The plaintiff is requesting a trial by jury to review all matters related to the case. He is asking for a compensatory award that takes into consideration both financial and non-financial damages suffered, such as medical bills, loss of income, and pain and suffering—both physical and emotional.

Freddie is also asking for punitive damages to be levied against the defendants for their wanton and reckless acts that have resulted in his and the public’s unnecessary suffering. He hopes sufficient punishment will discourage future actions of this nature on their part.

Anticoagulant Xarelto Product Liability Litigation

Janssen Research and Development as well as other named defendants purportedly failed to disclose that they had not preformed adequate testing on Xarelto prior to its market release.

The defendants promoted the drug based on lack of a need for frequent blood monitoring, dietary modifications, or frequent dosing to be effective. Because of this, plaintiffs claim, medical providers were not on the lookout for serious complications of gastrointestinal bleeding with potentially irreversible and life-threatening consequences.

Freddie’s Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-00215-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana.