A new Xarelto lawsuit was  filed in an Alabama federal court alleging that Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer Pharmaceuticals manufactured, marketed, and sold a drug that is unsafe for its intended use.

The Xarelto lawsuit was brought by plaintiff Sarah G., an Alabama resident. According to the lawsuit, Sarah was prescribed Xarelto by her physician and started taking the medication in March 2013.

She took the medication for a little over three weeks, the Xarelto lawsuit says. A few days after she stopped taking the medication, Sarah suffered a gastrointestinal bleed and acute blood loss.

She suffered from life-threatening bleeding that required not only a colonoscopy but also blood transfusions and other related medical treatment, her Xarelto lawsuit says. Sarah claims that her injuries occurred as a direct result of her use of Xarelto.

What is Xarelto?

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is a popular anticoagulant. The FDA approved the medication in 2011 to help prevent blood clots from forming after hip and knee replacement surgery and to prevent blood clots and stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Janssen and Bayer Pharmaceuticals used direct-to-consumer marketing plans to advertise Xarelto. This means the pharmaceutical companies didn’t just market the medication to medical professionals but also directly to consumers through TV commercials, pamphlets, and print ads.

Manufacturers of Xarelto aggressively advertised the medication as superior to the more traditional blood thinner Warfarin (coumadin). Patients taking Warfarin are required to follow strict dietary restrictions and undergo blood monitoring.

Patients taking Xarelto are not limited by these restrictions. But Xarelto, unlike Warfarin, has no known antidote. When patients using Warfarin suffer from excessive bleeding, medical professionals can administer a dose of Vitamin K and plasma. This is not the case for Xarelto patients.

Serious side effects associated with taking Xarelto include uncontrollable internal bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary embolism, hemorrhaging, and deep vein thrombosis.

According to adverse side effects reports, Xarelto and other similar blood thinners are among the most dangerous drugs on the market, blamed for hundreds of deaths each year and thousands of other serious injuries.

Overview of Xarelto Lawsuits

Thousands of anticoagulant lawsuits have been filed across the nation in state and federal courts. Personal injury attorneys are looking for potential Xarelto plaintiffs.

Settlements or awards received from successful Xarelto lawsuits help victims pay both past and future medical bills as well as compensate them for the pain and anguish they suffered due to adverse side effects from taking the medication.

In some cases, spouses of victims may join Xarelto lawsuits as co-plaintiffs, bringing loss of consortium claims, or claims for loss of spousal intimacy. Lawsuits brought against the pharmaceutical companies generally include claims for negligence, breach of warranty, fraud and deceit, misrepresentation, and strict products liability.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-00475-TMP, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division.