An Arizona husband and wife recently filed a legal action against Bristol-Myers Squibb over Eliquis life-threatening bleeding complications.

The plaintiffs, Robert G. and Susan G., allege in their lawsuit that Robert’s use of Eliquis led directly to Eliquis life-threatening bleeding.

Robert began taking Eliquis sometime in 2013, and continued this usage at the direction of his doctor through Dec. 3, 2015, when he began suffering from Eliquis life-threatening bleeding in his brain.

Due to these complications, Robert was immediately hospitalized. The Eliquis lawsuit alleges that he suffered permanent injuries because of Eliquis, and experienced significant pain, suffering and emotional distress.

According to the complaint, Robert’s injuries and psychological trauma from the Eliquis life-threatening bleeding continue to persist, and he will require continued medical monitoring into the future.

The Eliquis lawsuit was filed on multiple counts including negligence, strict products liability, manufacturing defect, design defect, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, and several others. Robert’s wife, Susan, filed on one count of loss of consortium.

What is Eliquis?

Eliquis (apixaban) is a popular blood thinning drug belonging to a relatively new class of drugs known as Factor Xa Inhibitors, which have begun to replace warfarin as the accepted standard.

Unfortunately, Eliquis and others in its class have been linked with serious side effects, including Eliquis life-threatening bleeding complications like those Robert suffered.

For most patients taking the drug, Eliquis side effects are mild and go away on their own. These side effects can include nausea, easy bruising, and minor bleeding problems.

Eliquis Life-Threatening Bleeding Complications

In other, rarer cases, side effects of Eliquis may become extreme and even life-threatening. Internal bleeding is a common side effect in blood thinners, since these drugs stop blood clots from forming.

In most cases, blood clots are dangerous, which is why blood thinners are used to treat clotting. However, in situations such as a car accident, emergency surgery or internal bleeding, blood clots are one of the body’s only defenses to avoid bleeding too much.

Warfarin and other blood thinners have antidotes to quickly counteract this effect and enable the body to clot again, but Eliquis has no such antidote. This means that in dangerous internal bleeding emergencies, Eliquis patients may be in much greater danger than those who took another kind of blood thinner drug.

Eliquis Life-Threatening Bleeding Lawsuits

Though filing an Eliquis lawsuit cannot undo the damage of Eliquis life-threatening bleeding, or bring a loved one back to life, it may be able to help compensate for financial expenses incurred by medical bills or lost wages.

If you or someone you know has taken Eliquis or a similar medication and has since suffered from major Eliquis life-threatening bleeding side effects, you may be able to file an Eliquis lawsuit.

The Eliquis Life-Threatening Bleeding Lawsuit is Case No. 2:17-cv-00922-ESW, in the U.S. District Court in and for the District of Arizona.