Approved in 2011 by the FDA, Xarelto is one of the newest anticoagulant
drugs on the market. Xarelto is a widely prescribed blood thinner that
is used to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with arterial
fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat), to treat deep vein thrombosis (a
blood clot in a vein, usually in the legs) and pulmonary embolism (a blood
clot in the lungs), and to reduce the risk of forming blood clots in the
legs and lungs following hip and knee replacement surgery.
The major appeal of this drug is its ease to consumers. Patients prescribed
Warfarin, another blood thinner, are required to undergo extensive patient
monitoring and keep track of their INR (International Normalized Ratio)
in order to make sure that the patient receives the full intended benefits
of the drug without exposing him or herself to an increased risk of hemorrhaging.
Xarelto, on the other hand, is marketed as a “one size fits all”
medication and does not require patients to submit to regular monitoring.
As a result, patients who take Xarelto experience periods where their
blood is extremely thin and periods where their blood is substantially
more coagulated depending on when they took their last dose. This in turn
creates a dramatically increased risk of internal bleeding which can lead to death.
If you are currently taking Xarelto, it is extremely important that you
avoid activities that could leave you injured. Due to the nature of the
drug, your blood could be so thin that the smallest scrape, cut, or bruise
could lead to severe blood loss. If you are injured and are experiencing
bleeding, bruising, dizziness, or headaches, contact your doctor immediately.
Also, make sure that your doctors and your dentist are aware that you
are taking Xarelto, particularly if you are expecting to undergo some
sort of surgical procedure or operation.
Hundreds of patients have already died from severe internal bleeding as
a result of taking Xarelto. As a result of these deaths, several lawsuits
have been initiated against the manufacturer of Xarelto, Janssen Pharmaceuticals,
and its marketer, Bayer Healthcare, for failing to adequately warn patients
and doctors, alike, of the increased risk of internal bleeding. These
cases have been combined before one judge in a multi-district litigation
(MDL). This means that the cases will be combined for the purposes of
investigation, but each individual client’s case is separate. No
individual client will be forced to settle as part of a class and no individual
client will be bound by the jury trials of others. This also means that
there are different procedural requirements each client must fulfill,
or else they risk being barred from asserting a claim.
Klein Frank, P.C. has successfully litigated and settled dozens of MDL
cases against pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, obtaining millions
of dollars in judgments and settlements for its clients. If you or a loved
one has experienced severe internal bleeding as a result of taking Xarelto,
contact someone who knows how to navigate the complicated MDL process
and who has experience taking on the big pharmaceutical companies.
Contact Klein Frank, P.C. at (303) 622-3876 today!
