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According to a study conducted by researchers for Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and George Washington University that was published on April 24, 2015 in the British Medical Journal, Xarelto may present double warfarin’s risk of serious gastrointestinal bleeds, and Pradaxa may increase the danger by 50 percent.

Risk of Uncontrollable Bleeding Events Common Among Anticoagulants

The authors of the study reviewed information obtained on over 46,000 patients who took one of the three major anticoagulant drugs: Xarelto, Pradaxa, or warfarin during the period of time between October 2012 and March 2012. The purpose of the study was to examine the ongoing issues with new generation anticoagulants (NOACs) like Xarelto and Pradaxa compared with more conventional treatments like warfarin.

Despite the fact that Xarelto and Pradaxa have been hyped as better, more convenient options to warfarin, the new generation drugs have increasingly been suspected of causing uncontrolled bleeding events in thousands of patients. Warfarin has long been the mainstay of anticoagulation therapy, but has several distinct disadvantages:

  • Requires frequent monitoring of the anticoagulant effect
  • Is associated with numerous food and drug interactions

Warfarin’s Advantage: An Antidote

But warfarin has one clear advantage to the new generation anticoagulants: an effective antidote. Although warfarin’s blood thinning capabilities can be quickly and easily reversed with vitamin K, no such antidote exists for Xarelto and Pradaxa. Despite the fact that increased bleeding risk is relatively common among all three anticoagulants studied, once a bleeding event connected to the new generation blood thinners is initiated, there is often nothing doctors can do to stop it.

For all available anticoagulants, bleeding is the most important adverse event seen in any type of patient. Potential agents for reversing the anticoagulation effect of NOACs has been proposed, but as of yet none of the agents have passed clinical trials, although idarucizumab, the proposed antidote for Pradaxa, has been granted priority review status by the FDA.

For these reasons and many others, Childers Schlueter & Smith continue to investigate and file new Pradaxa claims and new Xarelto claims. Our goal is to help those in need and educate the public on the material and underreported risks of uncontrolled bleeding events. If you have questions, call us and let one of our Pradaxa Lawyers or Xarelto Lawyers discuss your legal options.

 

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