A Xarelto bleeding lawsuit was filed by an Illinois man who alleges the the drug caused him to suffer a life-threatening bleeding incident.

Plaintiff Richard Newman alleges was prescribed Xarelto in September 2012. That December, Newman suffered a gastrointestinal bleed from the drug, according to the Xarelto lawsuit.

In this situation, a minor ulcer or abrasion somewhere in the GI tract cannot form clots, and thus, cannot stop bleeding. According to his Xarelto bleeding lawsuit, Newman was hospitalized due to his gastrointestinal bleeding, and continues to suffer after-effects from taking the drug.

Newman’s Xarelto bleeding lawsuit references the fact that older anticoagulants like Warfarin have available reversal agents. For example, if a patient taking Warfarin suffers uncontrollable bleeding, doctors can administer a large dose of Vitamin K, which effectively shuts down the Warfarin so a patient can form blood clots again.

Newman’s lawsuit holds that it was negligent that the makers of Xarelto did not warn patients there is no known reversal agent for Xarelto, potentially making the drug less safe than older anticoagulants that are off-patent and have lower profit margins than newer drugs like Xarelto.

Newman’s Xarelto lawsuit seeks to recoup the costs of medical care due to his alleged Xarelto bleeding. His Xarelto lawsuit alleges that the makers of the drug were aware — or reasonably should have been aware — of the risk of Xarelto bleeding incidents like the one he experienced.

His Xarelto bleeding lawsuit further alleges that this means Janssen Pharmaceuticals and related companies involved in the production of Xarelto are responsible for the harm he has allegedly suffered.

Xarelto is a blood thinner or anticoagulant, a class of drugs designed to prevent blood clots from forming in the body. Errant blood clots can cause a host of serious medical problems, including deep vein thrombosis, stroke, and some types of heart attack.

But when drugs like Xarelto interfere with the clotting process, a patient risks suffering from uncontrolled bleeding, including gastrointestinal bleeding and pulmonary bleeding. Since patients’ ability to clot is damaged, they have an increased risk of bleeding to death from very minor injuries, often internal.

The Xarelto Bleeding Lawsuit is Richard M. Newman v. Janssen Research and Development LLC, et al., Case No. 1236, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, East St. Louis Division.