A Texas woman has brought a gastrointestinal bleeding lawsuit against pharmaceutical giants, Janssen and Bayer, claiming she suffered injuries as a result of their anticoagulant drug, Xarelto.

Plaintiff Shirlene J. began to develop a condition called deep vein thrombosis following hip replacement surgery, according to her gastrointestinal bleeding lawsuit.

She claims that she experienced gastrointestinal bleeding as a direct result of taking the blood thinner Xarelto.

Texas Woman Files Gastrointestinal Bleeding Lawsuit

In early 2014, Shirlene began taking Xarelto.  A little later that year, in May of 2014, she developed gastrointestinal bleeding.

Shirlene believes it came as a result of Xarelto use. She suffered from severe gastrointestinal bleeding, physical pain and mental anguish including diminished enjoyment of life and the expenses for her hospitalization.

In her gastrointestinal bleeding lawsuit, the plaintiff claims that the drug companies failed to fully define the safety profile of Xarelto, failed to provide adequate warnings about the true risks of Xarelto, failed to disclose the need for dose adjustments and blood monitoring.

She also claims that Janssen failed to inform the medical community of the risks of Xarelto, especially that of gastrointestinal bleeds.

According to the gastrointestinal bleeding lawsuit, Shirlene claims that Xarelto was over-promoted and reported sales of $2 billion in 2013 alone. She says that Janssen launched an aggressive promotion campaign to sell the drug they knew was unsafe.

She raises claims of strict product liability, manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn, negligence, breaches of express and implied warranties, negligent misrepresentation and fraud.

Xarelto History

Xarelto, manufactured by Janssen, was approved by the FDA in 2011 for the prevention of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) and PE (pulmonary embolism). These conditions can occur in patients that have undergone hip or knee replacement surgery.

It is part of a new class of anticoagulants known as NOACs. These drugs have been marketed as being far superior to the market standard for years, warfarin, because of the reduced need for constant monitoring.

Late in 2011, Xarelto was further approved for patients to reduce their risk of stroke.

However, by June 2012, there were nearly 1,100 serious Xarelto bleeding reports reported by patients. Of those 1,100 event reports, 65 were fatalities.

By the end of 2012, there were over 2,000 serious bleeding reports sent to the FDA by Xarelto consumers. Over 150 of those cases resulted in death.

Xarelto has no antidote to reverse its anticoagulant effects. Those who take Xarelto are at significant risk of severe, and sometimes fatal, internal bleeding, including gastrointestinal bleeding.

If you or someone you love has experienced gastrointestinal bleeding as a result of taking Xarelto, you may be entitled to compensation. An experienced Xarelto attorney can help.

This Xarelto Gastrointestinal Bleeding Lawsuit is filed in the Xarelto MDL No. 2592 in the U.S. District Court for theEastern District of Louisiana.