Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare are facing an increasing number of cases alleging Xarelto bleeding deaths, which eventually spurred the formation of a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

One of the most recent additions to these alleged Xarelto bleeding deaths comes from a Florida man, alleging his father died as a result of the company’s anticoagulant.

Plaintiff Tim A. is filing a Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of his late father Victor A., who was one of the most recent patients to join the large number of alleged Xarelto bleeding deaths.

According to the claim, Victor was prescribed Xarelto for typical treatment purposes and followed all prescription instructions along with physician advice. Even with his diligence, Victor still experienced a fatal internal bleeding injury.

Victor agreed to take Xarelto after reviewing the marketing materials from Bayer and Johnson & Johnson. These advertisements stated Xarelto was an ideal choice for atrial fibrillation and general blood clot prevention due to its efficiency and quick treatment mechanism.

Victor started his Xarelto prescription in January 2015. While experiencing no initial complications, Victor reportedly experienced an internal bleeding incident in January 2016. Upon arriving at the hospital, Victor was diagnosed with internal bleeding and myocardial infarction. Even though Victor received emergency medical treatment, he ultimately joined the many who have allegedly suffered Xarelto bleeding deaths.

Tim is filing this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of his deceased father, alleging the companies either knew or should have known about the potentially fatal side effects of the medication. Tim states his father would never have agreed to take Xarelto if he had known about the risk of uncontrollable internal bleeding incidents.

Tim is filing this Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit in MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining an MDL, Tim’s claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges. Tim’s Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit is seeking damages and alleges multiple claims including negligence and failure to warn.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

Xarelto is a new generation anticoagulant that works by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism to prevent clot-related injuries. Xarelto and other anticoagulants are often prescribed to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation who are at high risk for stroke or other blood clot attacks.  Xarelto was released into the market in 2011, which was just a year after Pradaxa in 2010.

At the time of Pradaxa’s release, it was the first medication to be released into the market since warfarin in the 1950s. Xarelto and other new generation anticoagulants quickly outpaced warfarin in popularity due to their single dose prescription feature.

However Xarelto lacks a readily available reversal agent in the case of uncontrollable internal bleeding, in contrast to warfarin which uses vitamin K as a reversal agent. Plaintiffs say Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare allegedly spent millions on aggressively marketing Xarelto, while minimizing the risk of potentially fatal internal bleeding.

This Xarelto Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-00074-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.