A recent study published in the British Medical Journal indicates that the widely prescribed anticoagulant Xarelto may carry twice the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding when compared to the more traditional blood thinner Warfarin (Coumadin).

More than 45,000 anticoagulant patients were studied in the U.S. with the goal of determining which blood thinner poses the greatest risk of an internal bleeding side effect. Researchers found that those patients on Xarelto had double the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding over those taking Warfarin. 

Xarelto Overview

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xarelto in 2011 as a blood clot treatment for atrial fibrillation patients, or to be used after hip or knee replacement surgery. When it was introduced in the U.S., it was marketed as a more convenient blood thinner due in part to not requiring monthly blood testing or having dietary restrictions. Xarelto manufacturers claim the medication is the #1 blood thinner in its class, with 11 million prescriptions in the U.S. alone.

However, in just a few short years the blood thinner has been named in thousands of adverse event reports filed with the FDA; hundreds of those cases claimed the medication caused a hemorrhage-related death.

Xarelto Bleeding Complications

The drug was only months on the market before consumers started reporting serious Xarelto internal bleeding complications. Although promoted as a more convenient blood thinner, most consumers claim they were unaware that should a Xarelto bleeding event occur there would be no way to stop it.

Unlike Coumadin users who can be given a dose of vitamin K to get excessive bleeding under control, there is no reversal agent if internal bleeding occurs with Xarelto consumers. With Xarelto, patients must undergo multiple blood transfusions and lengthy hospital stays, as the only known way to stop Xarelto internal bleeding is to get the medication out of the system.

While Xarelto is suggested to double the risks of gastrointestinal bleeding, it has also been reported to have other serious side effects including:

• Brain hemorrhaging
• Abdominal bleeding
• Low Blood Pressure
• Bruising
• Edema
• Abnormal liver function
• Reduced platelet levels
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhaging in the eyes
• Nose Bleeds
• Rectal Bleeding
• Headache
• Rapid Heartbeat
• Muscle Pain

Xarelto Lawsuits Continue To Grow

Hundreds of Xarelto bleeding lawsuits have been filed by patients who accuse manufacturers Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Bayer Corp. of not adequately warning consumers of the serious internal bleeding risks that could occur with using the medication.

In general, plaintiffs claim that they were unaware that there was no available antidote should Xarelto internal bleeding occur. They also claim that the manufacturers did not adequately inform those in the medical community by claiming that the medication required no follow-up testing. Plaintiffs claim that had they known of the serious risks of gastrointestinal bleeding, they would not have taken Xarelto.

Contact an Xarelto attorney to find out if you should file a lawsuit as an individual or if it would be better for you to join a Xarelto class action lawsuit. Often times, filing an Xarelto lawsuit is the only way patients can financially recover from the medical costs they are required to pay in order to treat Xarelto internal bleeding.