Lawsuits against Xarelto’s manufacturers are being filed across the country. The lawsuits allege that side effects of Xarelto caused severe bleeding, injuries and deaths, and that patients and doctors were not adequately warned about the risks of internal bleeding from Xarelto.

Side Effects of Xarelto

Approved in 2011, Xarelto is one of the newest anticoagulants (blood thinners) manufactured.

It has been marketed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer and has been widely prescribed to prevent blood clots in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation (arrhythmia of the heart), deep vein thrombosis (blood clots deep within the body), pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs), stroke and in patients who have recently undergone a knee or hip replacement surgery.

It is prescribed as an alternative to warfarin (Coumadin), a blood thinner that began to be used in 1954.

One of the most serious potential side effects of Xarelto is severe internal bleeding that can result in death. The main problem with such bleeding events is that there is no known cure to reverse the type of internal bleeding caused by Xarelto.

Other potential Xarelto problems include thrombosis (blood clots), decreased hemoglobin (a substance that carries oxygen in red blood cells), cerebrovascular accidents (an event that leads to a cerebral hemorrhage), hematoma (a semisolid mass in the blood), peripheral edema (swelling of the lower limbs) and dyspnea (difficulty breathing)

More About Xarelto Problems

Xarelto’s significant risk of severe, and sometimes fatal, internal bleeding has no antidote to reverse its blood thinner side effects.

The original U.S. label approved when the drug was first marketed did not contain a warning regarding the lack of antidote, and only mentioned this important fact in the overdose section.

In 2012, Xarelto’s first full year on the market, a total of 2,081 new Xarelto-associated SAE reports were filed with the FDA. Of those reported blood thinner side effects events, 151 resulted in death, as compared to only 56 deaths associated with warfarin.

Xarelto’s manufacturers promoted the drug as the next generation of blood-thinning drugs to replace warfarin (Coumadin), a long-established safe treatment for preventing stroke and systemic embolism. Warfarin has been in use for 60 years.

However, the clinical studies showed that side effects of Xarelto had a higher rate of bleeding than warfarin without substantial improvement in patient outcome.

In addition, Xarelto’s manufacturers insisted the drug does not require regular blood testing that would determine if patients were at risk of severe bleeding, making it more convenient to prescribe.

However, review of the adverse event reports from Xarelto show that the use of Xarelto without appropriate blood monitoring and dose adjustment can cause major, life-threatening bleeding events.

Xarelto Lawsuit Information

Xarelto lawsuits allege that the manufacturers of Xarelto:

• Failed to fully investigate the safety risks of Xarelto
• Failed to provide adequate warnings about the true safety risks associated with side effects of Xarelto
• Failed to adequately disclose the increased risk of severe bleeding while taking Xarelto
• Failed to adequately disclose that there is no antidote to stop bleeding from Xarelto
• Over promoted the drug to consumers and healthcare professionals, leading to an explosion in Xarelto sales and putting millions of users at risk

If you or a loved one was hospitalized due to bleeding while taking Xarelto or suffered serious side effects of Xarelto, an experienced Xarelto attorney can offer you a free lawsuit evaluation.