A Xarelto bleeding MDL status conference was held to determine and discuss the key issues of the ever-growing number of Xarelto lawsuits consolidated in this multidistrict litigation in order to move these cases forward.

At this Xarelto MDL status conference all parties involved in this litigation discussed a number of Xarelto pretrial issues with the presiding judge, including the potential for a Master Complaint, possible tolling agreement, document procedure for the discovery process, and finally a protective order to safeguard against revealing proprietary information in any documents submitted to the court.

Finally, the parties present at the status conference discussed the best way to coordinate the federal Xarelto MDL with the pending Xarelto lawsuits filed in various state courts.

In December, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (or JPML) consolidated hundreds of Xarelto lawsuits filed against Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals for pretrial proceedings. The Xarelto lawsuits included in this Xarelto MDL similarly allege that hundreds of plaintiffs have suffered Xarelto side effects (such as uncontrollable bleeding) after taking the next-generation anti-coagulant.

These Xarelto lawsuits have been centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon.

Drug-makers Bayer and Janssen (a Johnson & Johnson Inc. subsidiary) are facing 220 Xarelto lawsuits in the federal MDL alone, with hundreds more filed in state courts across the nation, which also claim numerous consumers suffered serious and even fatal Xarelto side effects.

Additionally, plaintiffs claim in these Xarelto lawsuits that Janssen and Bayer failed to sufficiently warn patients and physicians of all the risks associated with taking this relatively new blood thinner. The cases included in the Xarelto MDL also similarly claim that the pharmaceutical companies are liable because they neglected to make a reversal agent, leaving doctors with no way to stop the uncontrollable bleeding side effects associated with Xarelto use.

Xarelto Bleeding Side Effects

In 2011, Xarelto was first introduced in the medical market as a superior blood thinning alternative to warfarin (or Coumadin), the more traditional anti-coagulant regularly prescribed to prevent stokes and blood clots in patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Although all blood thinners, including warfarin, carry a risk of bleeding injury, the number of Xarelto injury cases and medical reports is startling.

Some potential Xarelto side effects include:

• Deep vein thrombosis
• Pulmonary bleeding
• Abdominal bleeding
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Brain hemorrhaging
• Abnormal liver function
• Reduced platelet levels
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhaging in the eyes
• Low blood pressure
• Nose bleeds
• Rectal bleeding
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Rapid heartbeat
• Bruising
• Edema

Many individuals are filing Xarelto lawsuits or joining Xarelto class action lawsuits to seek relief from Janssen for themselves or loved ones who have suffered uncontrollable bleeding that has led to permanent injury and even death.

Many of these cases have already consolidated in the Xarelto MDL. A small group of these lawsuits will be picked by Judge Fallon as bellwether cases, which will then be prepared for early trial dates. These Xarelto bellwether cases will help both plaintiffs and defendants gauge how juries may respond to some evidence and testimony in future Xarelto litigation.