As more and more consumers allege they experienced serious bleeding side effects from the anticoagulant medication Xarelto, a mass tort proceeding in Philadelphia court was established in mid-January to address all Xarelto lawsuits filed in Pennsylvania state court against drug manufacturers Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals.

The Xarelto side effects lawsuits similarly allege that use of the blood thinner has led many consumers to experience uncontrollable, and even deadly, bleeding.

According to news and court reports, about 75 Xarelto lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen subsidiary and Bayer in Pennsylvania state courts, similarly claiming these companies failed to warn consumers and physicians about Xarelto side effects, particularly the life-threatening bleeding events.

Additionally, these Xarelto lawsuits further allege that the companies neglected to produce a reversal agent to counteract cases of hemorrhage caused by Xarelto use.

These Pennsylvania Xarelto lawsuits have been centralized for pretrial proceedings before Administrative Judge Kevin Dougherty in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in order to streamline future litigation.

Despite objections raised by Janssen and Bayer, who oppose this statewide Xarelto side effects mass tort, these Xarelto lawsuits will be transferred to Pennsylvania’s Complex Litigation Center.

This Pennsylvania Xarelto mass tort is similar to a recently established federal multidistrict litigation, which will address Xarelto lawsuits filed across the United States.

National Xarelto Multidistrict Litigation

In December 2014, about 50 Xarelto lawsuits were originally consolidated into a nationwide multidistrict litigation in Louisiana federal court. Since then, the number of Xarelto lawsuits included in the nationwide Xarelto MDL has been estimated at about 86.

The establishment of this Xarelto MDL and the subsequent consolidation of these cases was done with the intent of reducing the occurrence of duplicate discovery in similar Xarelto side effects lawsuits.

An MDL will also ideally avoid numerous pretrial rulings that may potentially conflict with one another and ultimately make court proceedings more convenient for both plaintiffs and defendants, as well witnesses and court officials.

Xarelto Side Effects

Since its 2011 U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, Xarelto has become the go-to anticoagulant treatment within the United States for patients who recently underwent knee and hip replacement surgery and also suffered from atrial fibrillation.

This medical condition allegedly makes individuals more susceptible to blood clots and other clotting complications, thus necessitating the prescription of a blood thinner. Because of the blood thinner’s initial market success, Xarelto was predicted to surpass more traditional forms of anticoagulants, such as Coumadin (also known as Warfarin).

However, over the course of 2014, various medical and consumer reports were published, claiming that patients suffered from several dangerous, and often fatal, Xarelto side effects.

Some Xarelto side effects that you or a loved one may experience include:

• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Pulmonary Bleeding
• Abdominal Bleeding
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding
• Brain Hemorrhaging
• Abnormal Liver Function
• Reduced Platelet Levels
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhaging in the Eyes
• Low Blood Pressure
• Nose Bleeds
• Rectal Bleeding
• Headache
• Muscle Pain
• Rapid Heartbeat
• Bruising
• Edema

Many individuals are now filing Xarelto lawsuits or joining Xarelto class action lawsuits to seek relief from Janssen for themselves or loved ones who have suffered uncontrollable bleeding that has led to permanent injury and even death.