The Plot Thickens with Blood Thinner Xarelto

The alleged side effects

What's at issue in the Xarelto claims is that the medication is alleged to cause patients who have taken it to either hemorrhage or suffer from adverse reactions that include but aren't limited to:

• Brain hemorrhages
• Strokes
• Heart attacks
• Pulmonary embolisms
• Gastrointestinal bleeding

Did they know about dangerous side effects?

Xarelto has been used by over 9 million patients across the globe. What have come to issue in Xarelto litigation are allegations that Bayer, Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals were aware of the drug's potentially deadly side effects, but decided not to say anything about them while continuing to manufacture and market the drug.

Alleged side effects of Xarelto

There's no question that Xarelto is an effective alternative in preventing blood clots. For about 50 years before Xarelto was introduced, Warfarin was used. There's a known risk that Warfarin can cause serious bleeding, but what distinguishes Xarelto from Warfarin is the fact that with Warfarin, a simple known antidote can be used to intervene and stop the bleeding. Just some of the allegations against Bayer and its marketers are that:

• They knew of uncontrollable bleeding and failed to disclose it to the public, including doctors.
• They held out Xarelto to be superior to other similar medications while knowing of its irreversable bleeding side effects.
• They failed to warn the public and doctors of the known bleeding risks.
• They were remiss in updating Xarelto warnings in a timely fashion.

Xarelto remains widely used

To date, there's no known solution to the uncontrollable bleeding that Xarelto is alleged to cause. Xarelto is still relatively new in the pharmaceutical market, and the alleged risks remain disputed The drug is still prescribed throughout the United States.

Xarelto remains highly profitable

New claims continue to be filed, sales of the drug can generate billions and billions of dollars before Bayer, Johnson & Johnson and Jannsen might be required to recall the medication and start paying out on claims. On the bottom line for these companies is the likelihood that Xarelto will remain a highly profitable product, even if they're required to recall it and pay damages sometime in the future.

Xarelto cases have been consolidated for judicial economy

More than 2,800 Xarelto lawsuits have been filed, and thousands more are expected. Consumer advocacy groups are compiling the Xarelto adverse reaction reports that are filed at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Thousands of adverse reactions and hundreds of deaths have been alleged. Pursuant to an order entered by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, all individual Xarelto lawsuits have been consolidated the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Note that these are not class actions.

A small group of bellwether cases that share common issues and defenses are expected to be heard in late 2016 or early 2017. These will help determine how juries might respond to evidence that's expected to be presented by both sides in most of the Xarelto claims that have been or are expected to be filed in the future. Both sides await these trials.

The Author is an enthusiastic writer, to pen down the harm caused by Xarelto. Through this article, he has thrown light over the harmful intake of Xarelto and all the dangerous side effects it can lead to.