A new Xarelto bleeding lawsuit was filed against Bayer Healthcare and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging the companies misrepresented the dangers of their new-generation blood thinner, putting users at risk for life-threatening bleeding events.

According to the Xarelto lawsuit, Kentucky resident Inge P. used Xarelto beginning in April 2014 to treat atrial fibrillation. She subsequently experienced a serious Xarelto bleeding event in May 2014, requiring emergency treatment and long-term hospitalization.

Inge’s Xarelto lawsuit alleges the drug’s manufacturers failed to adequately warn patients and physicians of Xarelto’s bleeding risks. The suit also faults the manufacturers for the lack of a reversal agent in the case of bleeding events.

Inge is seeking compensatory, economic, and punitive damages for Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceutical’s alleged failure to disclose information related to Xarelto’s increased risk of internal bleeding.

What is Xarelto?

Xarelto is a prescription blood thinner manufactured by Bayer and marketed by Johnson & Johnson. In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xarelto to treat deep vein thrombosis, a condition that commonly occurs after hip or knee replacement surgery.

Xarelto is also commonly prescribed to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with a certain type of heart rhythm disorder known as abnormal atrial fibrillation (A-Fib).

Xarelto Injuries and Side Effects

Many patients and physicians have raised concerns about Xarelto’s safety.  The most dangerous side effect for people taking Xarelto is uncontrollable bleeding. While the risk is shared by all blood thinners, it is particularly dangerous in Xarelto patients because Xarelto does not have a reversal agent to stop the bleeding.

If a patient on the drug experiences internal bleeding, doctors must find other ways to combat the problem while the drug is flushed from the patient’s system.

According to reports submitted to the FDA, Xarelto was associated with 151 deaths during its first year on the market.

Xarelto Lawsuits

Xarelto has been subject to increasing scrutiny over the past several years, and its manufacturers are alleged to have unlawfully concealed the truth about its tendency to cause life-threatening hemorrhages and internal bleeding. Consequently, a Xarelto MDL (multidistrict litigation) was formed to help consolidate the growing number of cases against the makers of Xarelto.

Most cases involving pharmaceuticals allege that a drug was sold with design, manufacturing, and/or marketing defects, which typically refers to a company’s failure to warn of a certain side effect.

In the case of Xarelto, patients may be able to take legal action in light of claims that Janssen failed to adequately warn doctors and patients about the risk of uncontrollable internal bleeding events.

The Xarelto Lawsuit is Case No. 3:15-cv-246-JGH in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Louisville Division.