Three plaintiffs have joined in a Xarelto lawsuit, alleging the blood thinning medication caused severe internal bleeding that led to their relatives’ deaths.

Plaintiffs Debbie V., Eldon C. and Natalie W. are bringing Xarelto wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of their deceased relatives. All three of them attribute their relatives’ deaths to internal bleeding that they say was caused by Xarelto.

They are joined by living plaintiffs Ronnie B., Martha Jean L., Immaculata N. and Mary S. in alleging that Xarelto is an inherently dangerous drug due to its potential to cause deadly internal bleeding.

These plaintiffs are suing Janssen Pharmaceuticals, its parent company Johnson & Johnson, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, and their related companies, all of whom are allegedly involved in the manufacture, sale and distribution of Xarelto.

Internal Bleeding and Xarelto

According to this Xarelto internal bleeding lawsuit, Xarelto is one of a new class of medications known as New Oral Anticoagulants. Plaintiffs say this class of drugs was brought to the market recently to challenge the market dominance of warfarin, which had been a well established anticoagulant for decades.

Plaintiffs cite the clinical studies used for FDA approval for Xarelto as proof of the dangers of internal bleeding while on blood thinners. They say that in the ROCKET AF study, which compared Xarelto to warfarin, found Xarelto patients had more frequent instances of internal bleeding – particularly gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding that caused a drop in hemoglobin, and bleeding that required blood transfusion.

Similar findings of internal bleeding were reported in a series known as the RECORD studies, which compared Xarelto to enoxaparin, the plaintiffs say.

Plaintiffs also cite a series of studies known as the EINSTEIN studies. These studies found Xarelto presented an increased risk of bleeding events as compared to a placebo – a predictable finding, given the general and known risk of internal bleeding while on blood thinners.

But the same studies also found an increased risk of adverse events on Xarelto, including events that resulted in prolonged hospitalization or permanent discontinuation of Xarelto.

The plaintiffs also cite to other reports of deaths associated with Xarelto treatment. They say that in the 2012 fiscal year, the FDA received 151 reports of Xarelto-related adverse events that resulted in death. In the first eight months of 2013, they say, German regulators received 72 reports of alleged Xarelto deaths, compared to 58 such reports received in 2012.

Claims for Survivors

Debbie, Eldon and Natalie are bringing three types of claims that a deceased person’s survivors may be able to bring based on their relatives’ alleged Xarelto deaths. One such claim is loss of consortium, which seeks to compensate the claimant for the loss of their relationship with the deceased and all benefits that came from that relationship – benefits like intimacy, company and emotional support.

Their other two Xarelto claims, wrongful death and survival actions, sometimes get confused for each other. Wrongful death actions seek to compensate survivors for their own losses tied to the deceased person’s death. Survival actions are brought on behalf of the deceased person’s estate and seek to recover compensation for the harm done directly to the deceased person before they died.

The Xarelto Internal Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 2:16 –cv-01168 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.