Over the past two months, three wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against the drug manufacturers Bayer Pharmaceutical and Janssen Pharmaceutical, alleging their blood pressure medication Xarelto has deadly, unlisted side effects such as uncontrollable bleeding.

Xarelto is a direct thrombin inhibitor blood thinning medication designed in 2011 as a joint effort by Bayer and the Jonson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen. It is a regularly prescribed anticoagulant used to reduce an individual’s risk of developing strokes or blood clots. Xarelto had initial commercial success as doctors were regularly prescribing the drug to patients suffering atrial fibrillation after a hip or knee replacement instead of traditional anticoagulants like Warfarin.

In early August, the wife of a deceased Xarelto consumer filed a Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit in Florida federal court. William N. Packard was prescribed Xarelto on Jan. 10, 2012, as a treatment for his atrial fibrillation and prevent him from developing blood clots or experiencing a stroke.

However, a few months later in June,  Packard was admitted to a Pennsylvania hospital to undergo cardiac surgery, which was delayed when Packard complained to his doctor of pain and other unexplained and alarming symptoms. The patient was thereafter diagnosed with internal bleeding and underwent a right frontal burr hole with evacuation procedure to impede injury. This procedure did little to delay Packard’s eventual death on June 28, 2012. Two years later, the patient’s wife Nancy Packard filed this Xarelto lawsuit claiming the drug manufacturers were at fault for her husband’s untimely death.

Similarly, a Vermont resident filed a Xarelto wrongful death lawsuit alleging her father, Thomas C. Dunkley, died from Xarelto complications after only nine days of taking the blood thinning medication. Dunkley was prescribed Xarelto by his doctor because he was allegedly at risk of developing  deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and other blood clot issues. According to the Xarelto lawsuit, Dunkley developed a parenchymal hemorrhage allegedly caused by the Xarelto medication, which led to his eventual death on July 26, 2012. Dunkley’s daughter, Ruth E. McGowan filed this Xarelto lawsuit at the end of August against Bayer and Janssen alleging their anticoagulant caused her father’s early death.

Finally, at the beginning of September, a pair of brothers filed a Xarelto lawsuit on behalf of their deceased father who they claim died from gastrointestinal bleeding caused by his consumption of Xarelto. Their father, 92-year-old Charles Griggs, was prescribed Xarelto in May 2013 as a blood thinning medication by his primary care physician.

By August of the same year, Griggs allegedly experienced life-threatening bleeding caused by his Xarelto medication. On Dec. 6, 2013, Charles Griggs died from Xarelto complications, including uncontrollable gastrointestinal bleeding. Harry and Joseph Griggs sued Bayer and Janssen earlier this month on behalf of their father alleging the Xarelto designers were aware of the deadly side effects of their drug and neglected to inform consumers like their father of the all the known Xarelto side effects.

Xarelto Side Effects

During the course of the 2014 year, there have been a number of medical and consumer reports published detailing the allegedly dangerous, and often fatal, side effects of taking Xarelto.

Some side effects of taking Xarelto include:

• Deep Vein Thrombosis
• Pulmonary Embolism
• Abdominal Bleeding
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding
• Brain hemorrhaging
• Abnormal liver function
• Reduced platlet levels
• Dizziness
• Hemorrhaging in the eyes
• Low Blood Pressure
• Nose Bleeds
• Rectal Bleeding
• Headache
• Muscle Pain
• Rapid Heartbeat
• Bruising
• Edema

Packard, McGowan, and Griggs are not the only patients who have allegedly suffered deadly side effects from using Xarelto. Many individuals and surviving family members of Xarelto consumers are now filing Xarelto wrongful death lawsuits or joining Xarelto class action lawsuits.