A Texas man has filed wrongful death claim, alleging his spouse’s death was caused by Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed. The man’s claim is joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), where it will stand alongside other claims alleging Xarelto gastrointestinal bleeding.

Plaintiff Maurice W. is filing legal action on behalf of his late spouse Cyrus W., who allegedly died from an unexpected Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident. According to the Xarelto lawsuit, Cyrus was prescribed the anticoagulant for atrial fibrillation on Sept. 5, 2012.

This is a typical treatment purpose for the medication which is designed to prevent blood clots from forming in high risk patients. Maurice alleges Cyrus was prescribed Xarelto for FDA approved treatment purposes and followed all instructions given on the label and physician advice.

Even with this diligence, Cyrus still allegedly suffered a gastrointestinal bleed incident and blood loss anemia on March 14, 2013. Even though Cyrus survived the incident, he had to undergo multiple blood transfusions and needed to be hospitalized for treatment.

However, Cyrus died on May 09, 2016, which may have been linked to the Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident. Maurice has been left to file legal action on Cyrus’ behalf, alleging the companies failed to warn him against potentially fatal internal bleeding incidents.

Overview of Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleed Problems

Xarelto is a new generation anticoagulant which was released as a conjoined effort between Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare. The FDA approved the medication in 2011 following the successful release of Pradaxa in 2010.

In contrast to warfarin, the standard prescription for blood thinning purposes since the 1960s, Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants can be prescribed in a single dose prescription and do not require frequent dose adjustments by doctors.

While this made Xarelto very popular in the medical community and patient population, this also caused a number of patients to be put at risk for Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed. Anticoagulants work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism to increase the efficiency of blood flow.

However this also causes the body to be vulnerable to uncontrollable internal bleeding events, often creating the need for emergency intervention. A Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed is one of the most significant risks patients can face while on this medication and requires immediate medical attention.

Gastrointestinal bleeding occurs in either the upper or lower digestive tract. The upper digestive tract includes the esophagus, stomach and upper part of the small intestine, while the lower tract includes the lower part of the small intestine, large intestine and anus.

Oftentimes patients need to undergo multiple blood transfusions to make up the blood loss and have to be vigilant for any long lasting side effects. This is allegedly occurred with Cyrus, and Maurice alleges his death was as a direct result of his Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident.

Maurice alleges the companies either knew or should have known the risks associated with Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents, but failed to warn the general public. Furthermore, Maurice alleges Cyrus would not have agreed to take the medication if he had known the risk of potentially fatal internal bleeding.

Maurice’s Xarelto lawsuit is being filed in MDL No. 2592, where it will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

This Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleed Lawsuit is  Case No. 2:18-cv-01986-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.