Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare are facing a growing multidistrict litigation consisting of numerous claimants alleging Xarelto hemorrhage. One of the newest Xarelto bleeding lawsuits comes from a Florida man, alleging he suffered potentially fatal Xarelto hemorrhage and the company failed to warn him against the possibility.

Plaintiff Edward D. had allegedly experienced Xarelto hemorrhage soon after starting the medication. Xarelto and other anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism to prevent blood clot attacks.

However, by inhibiting blood clotting, Xarelto also prevents the body from recovering from internal bleeding injuries that would not normally require emergency treatment.

According to the Xarelto bleeding lawsuit, Edward was prescribed Xarelto for typical treatment purposes in November 2016 and stayed on the medication until April 2017. During all times relevant, Edward says he used the medication for its intended purpose and did not deviate from prescription instructions. Even with this diligence, Edward allegedly suffered gastrointestinal Xarelto hemorrhage on March 7, 2017 and needed to receive emergency treatment.

Edward opted to file legal action against the manufacturing companies, after discovering the drug’s strong association with uncontrollable internal bleeding events.

Overview of Xarelto Hemorrhage Problems

According to the FDA, nearly 700 injury reports of Xarelto hemorrhage were submitted in the first three months of 2013, with some of the events being fatal.

This spurred the FDA to require the drug companies to implement a black box warning on the Xarelto packaging, warning patients of potentially fatal uncontrollable internal bleeding injuries. However, the FDA warned patients not to stop taking the medication without talking to their physicians.

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011, and was the second new generation anticoagulant medication approved for blood thinning purposes since warfarin in the 1950s.

Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants quickly overtook warfarin in popularity, for their convenient one dose prescription feature. Warfarin patients were required to frequently see their doctors for dose adjustments, but those frequent appointments had the benefit of frequent medical supervision in the case of internal bleeding.

In addition, warfarin patients had an established bleeding antidote in the form of vitamin K in case of hemorrhage. At this time, Xarelto patients do not have a readily available bleeding antidote and are at risk for potentially fatal internal bleeding.

Even though this issue was well known in the medical world, plaintiffs allege Johnson & Johnson and Bayer failed to warn consumers about the risk. Edward is filing his Xarelto bleeding lawsuit ins MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging uncontrollable Xarelto hemorrhage.

By joining an MDL, Edward’s claim will be streamline through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges. Edward states he never would have agreed to take the medication, if he had known about potentially fatal Xarelto hemorrhage.

This Xarelto Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-11256, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.