A Xarelto lawsuit was filed in Pennsylvania claiming Janssen Pharmaceuticals’ blood thinning drug caused the plaintiff to suffer from severe Xarelto bleeding side effects.

Plaintiff Rufus H. began using Xarelto in June 2012 to treat atrial fibrillation. However, he later suffered severe gastrointestinal bleeding. Both gastrointestinal bleeding and pulmonary bleeding side effects have been associated with Xarelto.

Rufus was hospitalized in February 2014 to treat the alleged Xarelto bleeding. He alleges that had he been fully aware of the possibility of severe Xarelto bleeding, he would never have used the medication, according to the Xarelto lawsuit.

Furthermore, the Xarelto bleeding lawsuit states that there was no way that the treating physicians could have been aware of the high risks associated with Xarelto use.

Xarelto Bleeding Side Effects

The defendants have been persistent in their support of Xarelto stating that “Xarelto has been proven to lower the chance of having a stroke if you have atrial fibrillation” and that the drug “begins working a few hours after you start taking it, and keeps working for as long as you take it,” according to the Xarelto lawsuit.

One of the driving points for Xarelto promotion has been that Xarelto does not need “regular blood monitoring and there are no dietary restrictions.” This sets Xarelto apart from warfarin, the go-to anticoagulant for decades.

However, many patients have suffered from severe Xarelto bleeding side effects after using the drug. Pulmonary bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding side effects are always a risk with anticoagulant drugs. However, warfarin has an antidote should severe internal bleeding occur. Xarelto has no such remedy. Many patients have died from Xarelto bleeding side effects.

The Xarelto bleeding lawsuit states: “Defendants have created a new drug, Xarelto, that is not better than warfarin from a safety perspective, and at best, is only perhaps slightly easier to use and administer.”

The Xarelto lawsuit accuses Janssen of failing to warn patients about the risk of Xarelto bleeding as well as the fact that there is no antidote. The Xarelto lawsuit alleges that “the current warning is simply inadequate. The Defendants have failed and continue to fail in their duties to warn and protect the consuming public, including the Plaintiff.”

Xarelto belongs to a class of anticoagulants called Factor Xa. All other medications in this class have been associated with severe internal bleeding side effects. Many drug manufacturers have faced lawsuits accusing them of failing to warn and creating a defective drug. Wrongful death lawsuits have also been filed.

A Xarelto class action lawsuit investigation is currently underway.

This Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 2:14-cv-00118 filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.