Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare are facing a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), consisting of product liability claims from patients alleging they experienced Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents.

One of the most recently filed claims comes from a woman from Georgia, alleging she experienced a Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident soon after starting her prescription.

Plaintiff Anna S. opted to file legal action against the pharmaceutical giants alleging the companies either knew or should have known about the risk of Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents.

Like millions of other patients in the United States, Anna says she was prescribed Xarelto to prevent blood clot formation and was promised that it was a safe and effective treatment method by Bayer and Johnson & Johnson.

Xarelto is a new generation anticoagulant, which works by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism and increasing the efficiency in blood flow. Anticoagulants are typically prescribed to adult patients suffering from atrial fibrillation or who are at high risk for stroke and can be effective countermeasures against blood clot complications.

With these benefits in mind, Anna says she was prescribed Xarelto on Feb. 26, 2016 and took it according to prescription instructions and physician advice. However, just several months after starting the medication, Anna reportedly suffered a Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident on June 04, 2016.

Not long after the alleged Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incident, Anna opted to file legal action against Bayer and Johnson & Johnson after discovering other patients had suffered similar complications.

Overview of Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleed Complications

Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011, which was one year after Pradaxa was released in the United States. The release of Pradaxa was significant because it was the first medication to be released for anticoagulant treatment purposes since warfarin the 1960s.

Xarelto and other recently released blood thinners are called new generation anticoagulants which were released to directly compete against each other and warfarin.

However, a number of patients have reportedly suffered uncontrollable internal bleeding incidents in conjunction with these medications because new generation anticoagulants did not have approved reversal agents in the case of internal bleeding.

When the body’s clotting mechanism is inhibited, its ability to recover from internal bleeding is also shut down. While Xarelto and fellow anticoagulant Eliquis now have an approved reversal agent called Andexxa, this was not available for the first several years the drug was on the market.

Even with the release of Andexxa, patients should be wary against signs of Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents with symptoms including but not limited to:

• Vomiting blood
• Vomit that resembles coffee grounds
• Black or tarry stools
• Dark blood intermixed in stool
• Abdominal pain
• Stool mixed or covered in bright red blood

Xarelto patients who experience these symptoms should seek medical assistance immediately, as gastrointestinal bleeding can be fatal. Even though these complications can be potentially deadly to patients, Johnson & Johnson and Bayer allegedly failed to warn the public against the possibility of a Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed.

Anna states she would not have agreed to take Xarelto if she had known the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Anna’s Xarelto lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592 where it will stand alongside other claims alleging Xarelto gastrointestinal bleed incidents.

This Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleed Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-05581-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.