The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) is being asked to centralize approximately two dozen Xarelto lawsuits before one judge in the Southern District of Illinois. The cases are currently spread across the U.S. in several different U.S. District Courts. Consolidating them is expected to reduce duplicative discovery, avoid conflicting orders from different courts, and more effectively move the cases through the court system.
What is Xarelto?
Xarelto belongs to a class of drugs known as direct thrombin inhibitors, and was introduced in 2011 to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots associated with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, to treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT), to treat pulmonary embolism (PE), and to reduce the risk of DVT and PE after knee or hip replacement surgery.
Xarelto works by inhibiting the enzyme in the blood that causes clotting. However, because there is no known or approved antidote available to reduce the blood thinning effects of Xarelto, doctors are unable to stop or control hemorrhages or bleeding that might develop as a side effect of the medication.
Like all anticoagulants, Xarelto warnings indicated that the medication carries a potential risk of bleeding. But the information provided is said to be insufficient because it does not accurately describe the serious and potentially life-threatening nature of Xarelto side effects. Even after a link between Xarelto and serious bleeds became established, the drug makers allegedly continued to promote the medication as safe and effective, withholding information on the risk of irreversible bleeding.
Xarelto Lawsuits
All of the Xarelto product liability lawsuits involve nearly the same allegations, which include failure to warn patients about the risk of severe bleeding, hemorrhage, and death; and the lack of a reversal agent to counteract the blood thinning side effects of the medication. The plaintiffs contend that many severe injuries and deaths could have been avoided if proper warnings had been provided.
As more and more victims relate severe bleeding incidents or deaths to Xarelto use, it is expected that thousands of claims against the drug’s makers, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson, will be filed.
At Childers, Schlueter and Smith LLC, we feel that drug manufacturers should be at fault when their treatments cause serious side effects and put people in danger. If you suffered internal bleeding event or some other injury as a result of Xarelto, you may have a legal claim. Contact Xarelto Attorney Andy Childers or a member of our law firm to learn how we can help protect your legal rights.
Focusing his practice on helping individuals harmed by pharmaceutical products and medical devices, Andy Childers has been named a 2018 Super Lawyer in the Class Actions/Mass Torts category—helping his clients receive settlements in excess of $250 million to date. In addition to mass torts, Mr. Childers handles cases for those suffering from Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN)—horrific allergic reactions that cause the person’s skin to slough off, and that can lead to blindness, permanent disability, or death.
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