A drug that was supposed to be a safe, effective alternative to an older blood thinner medication has caused thousands of individuals to report Xarelto bleeding problems, with many of them going on to take legal action against the manufacturer

Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is one of several new generation oral anticoagulant medications that have been approved by the FDA in the last decade.

Since the 1950s, one blood thinner drug, warfarin, was used almost exclusively until Xarelto and its contemporaries received the green light from the FDA.

Xarelto and other blood thinners are used to prevent stroke and systemic embolism in patients that suffer from atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm.

It is also used to treat and prevent deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in patients at risk for those conditions.

While warfarin is effective, it also requires more maintenance then many newer drugs. Patients have to be monitored closely via blood testing and doctor consultations to be sure the amount of the drug they were taking was appropriate.

Additionally, warfarin patients are required to follow a diet by avoiding certain foods that could negatively interact with the drug.

Xarelto was seen as a revolutionary medication that allows easier, standardized dosing and does not have the dietary restrictions that its predecessor did.

Many doctors found Xarelto to be easier to use, and patients appreciated taking a drug that required less maintenance.

Xarelto Bleeding Problems

Soon after patients began taking Xarelto, reports of dangerous bleeding problems began to surface. Patients were being admitted to the hospital with a variety of bleeding issues, often in the gastrointestinal tract as well as in the brain.

Excessive bleeding is not a problem found just with Xarelto – it is also seen in warfarin patients as well. However, with warfarin, an antidote exists to reverse the thinning of the blood by restoring the body’s natural clotting abilities. Fresh frozen plasma or intravenous vitamin K could be administered at the hospital as a reversal agent to curtail the excessive bleeding.

Xarelto was released to the market in 2010 without any such antidote, and it continues to have no available antidote to this day.

Legal Issues for Xarelto’s Manufacturer

Soon after Xarelto bleeding injuries were reported, many patients and their loved ones decided to take matters into their own hands with legal action against Xarelto’s manufacturer.

They did so in order to hold the manufacturer accountable for what they perceived was an unsafe drug.

So many of these Xarelto lawsuits were filed that the federal court system established a multidistrict litigation for Xarelto. This MDL allows all claims over Xarelto bleeding problems to be funneled into one court under a single judge to streamline pretrial proceedings and to eliminate conflicting rulings.

According to the most recent report published on the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation’s website, nearly 15,000 lawsuits alleging Xarelto bleeding problems are currently pending in the court.

Plaintiffs in these Xarelto lawsuits allege that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn patients and physicians of the risks associated with using the drug. They state that the clinical studies that were relied upon for the FDA approval process were flawed, and the results were not fully disclosed when the manufacturers sought approval.

A number of these Xarelto lawsuits include allegations of wrongful death. Some patients were not able to be saved once they suffered from uncontrollable bleeding events.

Filing a Xarelto Lawsuit

If you or a loved one has experienced Xarelto bleeding problems, you may be eligible to seek legal compensation for your injuries. An experienced Xarelto attorney can review your case at no charge and can help guide you in understanding your legal options.