A recent Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit has been filed by a widow from Illinois, alleging her husband died from uncontrollable internal bleeding caused by the medication.

This Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit is joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL) against manufacturers Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare, consisting of other product liability claims alleging serious Xarelto bleeding complications.

Plaintiff Julia S. filed this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her late husband Jack S., who allegedly died from uncontrollable internal bleeding injuries. Xarelto is a new generation anticoagulant that is often prescribed to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, and who are at high risk for stroke.

Anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism, which increases the efficiency of circulation and prevents blood clots from forming. However, this also prevents the body from being able to recover from minor internal bleeding problems, which can quickly turn fatal.

This was allegedly the case for Julia’s husband, who allegedly died from the treatment mechanism of Xarelto. According to the Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit, Jack had been prescribed the anticoagulant for typical treatment purposes on Jan. 30, 2014.

Jack had taken the medication for its intended purpose, along with following prescription instructions and physician’s advice. However, not long after his prescription started, Jack reportedly suffered an internal bleeding incident on July 04, 2016.

Jack allegedly died from these injuries not long after in Sept. 2016, leaving his wife to file this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on his behalf.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011 and was released as a joint effort between Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare. Xarelto was approved just one year after Pradaxa, which was the first medication to be released for blood thinning treatment purposes since warfarin in the 1960s.

In contrast to warfarin, new generation anticoagulants can be prescribed in a single dose and did not require frequent dose adjustments from physicians. Even though Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants are more convenient, they carry a higher risk of internal bleeding death.

Previously, warfarin had been the only anticoagulant with an approved reversal agent that could be implemented in case of internal bleeding. Up until May 2018, Xarelto did not have an approved reversal agent that could be implemented in case of internal bleeding.

Even with the approval of the bleeding antidote Andexxa, it is not expected to be widely available until early 2019. Even though these complications can be devastating to Xarelto patients, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson allegedly failed to disclose this information to the public.

Julia states that her husband would not have agreed to take Xarelto if he knew that the medication could cause potentially fatal internal bleeding.

Julia’s Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar internal bleeding complications.

By joining an MDL, Julia’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges. Julia is seeking multiple damages in her Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit, including counts of negligence and failure to warn.

This Xarelto Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-07005-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.