An Arkansas woman has added a lawsuit to the growing Xarelto MDL on behalf of her late husband, claiming the injuries that eventually caused his death were the result of his treatment with Xarelto.

The late husband, Tillman M., only used Xarelto regularly for a short time. Tillman began taking Xarelto in May 2015 and continued to use the popular blood thinner through Oct. 13, 2015, when he suffered from major gastrointestinal bleeding injuries. Unfortunately, Tillman never recovered from these injuries, and he died just over a week later.

In response, plaintiff Jan M. filed her lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals after her husband’s untimely passing, alleging that his injuries and death were a direct result of using Xarelto. According to this lawsuit as well as the other lawsuits included in the Xarelto multidistrict litigation, or MDL, Janssen failed to adequately warn both the public and the medical community about the serious bleeding risks linked with its anticoagulant, placing patients at substantial risk of Xarelto bleeding injury.

The Xarelto lawsuit was filed on Sept. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on multiple counts, including strict liability, design defect, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, negligence, breach of express and implied warranties, negligent misrepresentation, fraud, and wrongful death, among others.

Xarelto Background

Xarelto (also known by its generic name, rivaroxaban) is part of a group of new blood thinner medications, or anticoagulants. Xarelto was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 1, 2011. Xarelto is manufactured and distributed by Janssen, a prominent subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson. It is meant to prevent blood clots and associated conditions, mainly stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Other new anticoagulants belonging to the same class as Xarelto are Pradaxa and Eliquis, also quite popular since their entrance to the market. These anticoagulants are marketed as replacement anticoagulants for warfarin (Coumadin), which had remained the dominant anticoagulant on the market for decades.

Xarelto Bleeding Side Effects

In general, blood clots are dangerous and can cause serious or even life-threatening conditions. But in some instances, this clotting can actually perform a life-saving function. In extreme internal bleeding situations, the body forms blood clots to slow the bleeding, which can prevent a person from losing too much blood. However, if unable to form these life-saving blood clots while on a blood thinner, the body has no other way of slowing the bleeding, which increases the risk of permanent Xarelto bleeding injury or even death.

Joining a Xarelto MDL

A growing number of lawsuits are being filed over Xarelto side effects. Many have been consolidated into a Xarelto MDL, in the interest of processing them more efficiently.

According to these lawsuits, Janssen knew that there were potential dangerous side effects of Xarelto, including Xarelto bleeding problems, but failed to adequately warn both consumers and the medical community about these risks, placing patients at serious risk of injury or even death.

If you or someone you love has experienced a severe Xarelto bleeding injury, or even death caused by Xarelto, you may be able to file a Xarelto lawsuit. Filing a Xarelto lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of someone who has experienced a Xarelto bleeding injury, and cannot bring a loved one back to life. However, a Xarelto lawsuit can at least help to compensate for the financial expenses often incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-08686-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.