Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals are facing hundreds of lawsuits regarding the anticoagulant drug Xarelto.

Commonly referred to as blood thinners, anticoagulants are prescribed to prevent blood clots and to prevent strokes. Unfortunately, blood thinners can also cause uncontrollable bleeding that can lead to death.

Older anticoagulants such as warfarin have traditionally required blood monitoring to control medication levels. Warfarin also has an antidote that can reverse its anti-clotting effects in the event of a surgery or injury to the patient taking the medication.

Most new anticoagulants, like Xarelto, don’t, creating Xarelto bleeding risks.

Xarelto Bleeding Risk

Xarelto belongs to a new breed of anticoagulants that promote uniform doses in everyone, but some people can tolerate it better than others. The main side effect is bleeding, but it can range from minor bleeding all the way to being fatal.

The FDA has issued two black box warnings on Xarelto. A black box warning is a step taken before a drug is pulled off the market.

The main concern is if someone is bleeding out, there is no antidote for Xarelto. As of now, there are no instructions for ER physicians to control bleeding induced by Xarelto’s anticoagulant properties.

The FDA warns that a doctor should be called or medical help received immediately at any of these signs of bleeding:

• unexpected bleeding or bleeding that lasts a long time, such as:
  – nose bleeds that happen often
  – unusual bleeding from the gums
  – menstrual bleeding that is heavier than normal or vaginal bleeding
• bleeding that is severe or you cannot control
• red, pink or brown urine
• bright red or black stools (looks like tar)
• cough up blood or blood clots
• vomit blood or your vomit looks like “coffee grounds”
• headaches, feeling dizzy or weak
• pain, swelling, or new drainage at wound sites

Xarelto Side Effects in Wound Healing

Besides severe bleeding, Xarelto lawsuits also point to the drug for interfering with wound healing.

In 2012, the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery reported that researchers looked at more than 13,000 patients who had knee or hip surgery who took either Xarelto or Heparin. The patients who had taken Xarelto had almost four times the risk of wound complications, including infections and leakage.

Orthopedic surgeons said those with complications who had taken Xarelto sometimes ended up needing implants removed. Others had to stay on antibiotics for weeks or months to get rid of persistent infections.

A British study, also in 2012, determined that orthopedic patients who took Xarelto had such a high return-to-surgery rate within one month that doctors in the study stopped prescribing Xarelto when “large, fresh wounds” were presented.

Doctors prescribed an older anticoagulant (tinzaparin) instead, they reported at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting.

More Than 3,000 Xarelto Lawsuits

Right now, more than 2,800 Xarelto lawsuits have been consolidated in one district in Louisiana, and another 550 have been consolidated in Pennsylvania.

If you or someone you know has taken Xarelto and suffered bleeding or significant interference with post-surgery healing, you could be eligible for compensation for your loss of wages, medical expenses, pain and suffering and other damages.