Johnson & Johnson and Bayer HealthCare are facing a new recently filed Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit, from a man from Florida alleging he developed serious internal bleeding complications soon after being prescribed the medication.

This Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit is joining a growing multidistrict litigation (MDL), which consists of similar product liability claims alleging potentially fatal internal bleeding complications.

Plaintiff Anthony H. opted to file this Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit after discovering there were numerous other patients who developed potentially fatal internal bleeding complications. Like millions of other patients, Anthony had been prescribed Xarelto to prevent blood clot formation and had taken the drug according to the drug’s instructions and the advice of his physician.

This is a typical use for Xarelto, which is commonly prescribed to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation and are at high risk for stroke. Xarelto and other blood thinners work by inhibiting the body’s clotting mechanism and increases the efficiency in the circulation system. However, this also disables the body’s recovery mechanism for cases of internal bleeding, which can have dangerous consequences for patients.

According to the Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit, this was allegedly the case for Anthony who had been prescribed the anticoagulant on Dec. 3, 2013 and used the medication up until July 24, 2014. While the drug reportedly worked well for Anthony in initial stages, he had reportedly suffered life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding on July 24, 2014.

Anthony opted to file this Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit soon after the incident, after discovering the pharmaceutical companies had garnered considerable negative attention for Xarelto bleeding incidents.

Overview of Xarelto Bleeding Complications

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

It is also important to note that for years, warfarin had been the only anticoagulant with a readily available reversal agent in the case of internal bleeding incidents. While Pradaxa eventually got its own bleeding antidote in the form of Praxbind in 2015, Xarelto did not get its own bleeding antidote until very recently in 2018.

The reversal agent Andexxa is now available to Xarelto and Eliquis patients who experience uncontrollable internal bleeding and will be very useful in preventing fatalities. According to the FDA, the agency had received 700 injury reports regarding Xarelto internal bleeding incidents during the first three months of 2013 with some of the events being fatal.

Even though Xarelto internal bleeding is potentially fatal, Johnson & Johnson and Bayer allegedly failed to warn patients against these possibilities. According to his Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit, Anthony would not have agreed to take Xarelto if he had known about the possibility of uncontrollable internal bleeding.

Anthony’s Xarelto GI bleed lawsuit is joining MDL No. 2592, where it will stand alongside other claims alleging similar injuries. By joining and MDL, His claim will be streamlined through the litigation process and will avoid potential problems like conflicting rulings from different judges.

This Xarelto GI Bleed Lawsuit is Case 2:18-cv-05441-EEF-MBN, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Louisiana.