A woman in Rhode Island is suing Janssen Pharmaceuticals and parent company Johnson & Johnson on behalf of her late husband who allegedly suffered personal injury and later died as a result of using the anticoagulant drug Xarelto.

Plaintiff Dorothy P. said her husband Graham P. was prescribed Xarelto by his physician and took the medication from January 2013 until February 2013 for the treatment of atrial fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots or stroke, so the medication was prescribed to Graham in hopes that he would avoid these cardiovascular events.

According to the Xarelto lawsuit, as a direct and proximate result of Xarelto, Graham suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and stroke in February 2013; he also experienced a life-threatening, irreversible bleed, pain and suffering. Graham died on February 14, 2013 as a result of these injuries.

In addition to physical damages, Graham and Patricia incurred medical expenses, the loss of accumulations, funeral expenses, probate, attorney and other administrative fees. Patricia also had other economic and non-economic damages following Graham’s death.

Patricia brings forth eleven counts against the defendants including negligence, strict products liability, breaches of express and implied warranty, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and deceit, violation of consumer protection laws, survival action and wrongful death action.

The plaintiff is seeking compensatory, economic, and punitive damages, pre- and postjudgment interest, attorney fees and costs and other relief as deemed fair by the court.

Her Xarelto Lawsuit is Dorothy P. v. Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Case No. 3:15-cv-02774-MAS-DEA, in the United States District Court, New Jersey.

Xarelto Side Effects

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is an anticoagulant drug used preventatively to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation. It is also used to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition where blood clots form in deep veins, usually in the lower extremities, and pulmonary embolism (PE), a condition that occurs when a blood clot affects the lungs.

While many doctors appeared to like new generation anticoagulants like Xarelto for their ease of administration, less frequent need for monitoring, and lack of dietary restrictions while taking the drug, Xarelto and its closely related drug counterparts have a major drawback: lack of an effective reversal agent.

All anticoagulant drugs have the side effect of bleeding complications. Because the drugs inhibit the body’s natural clotting mechanism, it is a known potential issue. The older generation anticoagulant drug, warfarin (Coumadin), however, has an effective reversal agent.

As an antidote to excessive bleeding, patients taking warfarin could be administered fresh frozen plasma and intravenous vitamin K to effectively stop the bleeding and resume clotting.

Xarelto does not currently have such an intervention to effectively stop bleeding. Essentially, patients must wait until the drug leaves their system and the blood begins clotting again. For some, the wait might be too long and the Xarelto bleed becomes fatal.

Xarelto Lawsuit Information

If you or someone you love has taken Xarelto and has suffered from gastrointestinal bleeding, pulmonary bleeding, cerebral bleeding or any other type of Xarelto bleeding, you may be eligible for legal compensation. A Xarelto lawyer will review your case at no charge to you to determine your eligibility of filing a lawsuit for your Xarelto injury.