Janssen and Bayer, the makers of Xarelto (Rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant, have been accused of misrepresenting Xarelto side effects and health risks to the medical and healthcare community. They have also been accused of inadequate safety testing which has allegedly led to severe and life-threatening bleeding by some taking this prescribed medication.
Learn more about your rights and how you can hold the pharmaceutical company responsible if you or a loved one has suffered from the effects of this frightening drug.
Xarelto is the second most prescribed drug for atrial fibrillation. It gained popularity because it is more convenient to use than other types of blood thinning drugs such as Warfarin. Other blood thinners require frequent blood tests which allow adjustments for proper dose adjustments. Xarelto is responsible for tens of thousands of otherwise avoidable bleeding events, and its efficacy is questionable.
Xarelto can cause:
- Abdominal bleeding
- Brain hemorrhage
- Abnormal liver function
- Reduced platelet levels
A Xarelto bleeding event can be fatal, and those who survive can suffer from permanent injuries.
Despite all of these problems, it is marketed as a once a day pill that does not require monitoring or dietary restrictions. Of course, we believe that such marketing is seriously irresponsible.
Xarelto is prescribed to help reduce the risk of risk of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation (not caused by a heart valve problem); treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism; and to reduce the risk of forming a blood clot in the legs and lungs of people who have just had knee or hip replacement surgery.
Xarelto was introduced to the market as an alternative to Warfarin, which requires regular blood tests and monitoring of blood levels after it is in use. It should be noted that there is an antidote to Warfarin should it cause uncontrolled bleeding and that there is no Xarelto antidote to slow the bleeding should it occur.
Xarelto was heavily campaigned nationwide and over $11 million was spent in 2013 on advertising in medical journals alone. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required Bayer and Janssen to cease promoting their ads claiming that, “the print ad is false or misleading because it minimizes the risks associated with Xarelto,”
Thousands of adverse side effect reports have been filed with the FDA due to Xarelto bleeding complications.
Bayer and Janssen have already been charged with negligence, product liability, breach of warranty, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and deceit.
The number of Xarelto lawsuits has continued to grow as more patients experience the Xarelto “traumatic bleeding” side effects. Several studies have found that there are increased bleeding risks in Xarelto users, and several FDA Adverse Event Reports state that there have been cases of severe bleeding and even death.
The FDA issued its most serious warning, called a “black box warning,” warning that those who abruptly stop taking Xarelto and do not replace it with another blood thinning medication are at an increased risk of stroke. The FDA also warned that epidural or spinal hematomas (formation of a mass of clotted blood that grows in a tissue, organ or other spaces in the body due to a broken blood vessel) occurred in patients taking Xarelto who were receiving anesthesia or undergoing spinal puncture. These hematomas carry with them the likelihood of long-term or permanent paralysis.
- http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/ucm367392.htm
- http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2011/202439s001lbl.pdf
- http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/UCM280333.pdf
Learn more about your rights and how you can hold the pharmaceutical company responsible if you or a loved one has suffered from the effects of this frightening drug.
The Parrish Law Firm Defective Drug – Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Attorney works with Northern Virginia citizens who have suffered from the devastating effects of Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) and are looking for fair compensation for their suffering. Contact us today for a free case consultation, or call us at 703-906-4229.
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A representative of the Parrish Law Firm, PLLC researched and wrote this article with Mr. Parrish’s consent. If you have any questions regarding the legal implications of what you have just read, please send us your question by clicking here so we can have our attorney review it.