Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
Since December 2014, all federal product liability lawsuits filed against Bayer and Johnson & Johnson over the bleeding side effects of Xarelto have been centralized and consolidated before U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon in the Eastern District of Louisiana as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation.
Xarelto Bleeding Injury Claims
Did you or a loved one suffer serious internal bleeding or other complications after taking Xarelto®? Xarelto is a prescription blood thinner that has been linked to serious bleeding events that have caused catastrophic injuries and death.
If you or a loved one has suffered due to Xarelto side effects you may be entitled to compensation for your pain, suffering and medical costs. Call NOW, time may be limited. Our firm of experienced pharmaceutical lawyers will provide you with a no-cost, no-obligation review of your case. Act now by filling out the form or calling us at 214-390-3189 to discuss your legal options.
4 Xarelto Bellwether Trials Set
Judge Fallon set a series of four bellwether trials to go before juries in the Spring of 2017. As of September 15, according the data provided by the Judicial Panel Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) there are 1,710 Xarelto injury lawsuits in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
The number of Xarelto lawsuits continue to be filed by individuals across the United States, alleging severe and deadly bleeding complications.
Bellwether Trials in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas
The first two trials will be held in the Eastern District of Louisiana, on February 6 and March 13, 2017. The third trial will be held in Mississippi on April 24, 2017 and the fourth trial will be held in Texas on May 30, 2017.
According to Judge Fallon’s order, the cases that will go before juries on these dates will be pulled from a pool of 40 lawsuits to be selected in January 2016. These cases will be trial ready, with case-specific discovery, including depositions of plaintiffs, prescribing doctors, treating physicians and sales representatives of the drug makers.
What is Xarelto?
Xarelto (rivaroxoaban) was released and approved for sale in 2011 as a superior replacement for Coumadin (warfarin). Xarelto is used to reduce the risk of blood clots among patients at risk for deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and those patients at risk for a stroke with atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart rhythm problem, which leads to embolic strokes, from blood clots that develop in the heart and travel up to the brain.
Xarelto has the largest share of the market for anticoagulants and is considered a blockbuster drug, with annual sales over $1 Billion in the United States.
Anticoagulant Bleeding Risks: No Xarelto Antidote
All anticoagulants or blood thinners have a risk of bleeding and injury, but Xarelto has been linked to a significant number of injuries involving catastrophic and uncontrollable bleeds, including death.
Xarelto has been advertised heavily as being easier to use than warfarin, since it does not require regular blood monitoring. According to several recent studies, those claims may be in doubt. Medical researchers have indicated that Xarelto blood monitoring may actually help doctors identify patients at the greatest risk of bleeding.
Plaintiffs are filing bleeding lawsuits claiming that the drug manufacturers suppressed information about the lack of a reversal agent. Warfarin’s blooding thinning effects can be quickly reversed in an emergency, there is no antidote for Xarelto.
Similar Lawsuits Claims For Pradaxa
Pradaxa, is another new-generation anticoagulant introduced by Boehringer Ingelheim in October 2010. In 2014, there were 3,592 serious adverse event reports involving Pradaxa, with 752 involving the death of the patient, compared with 3,331 reports associated to Xarelto bleeding problems, with 379 involving a patient death.
Similar allegations of a lack of an antidote, were raised in more than 4,000 Pradaxa lawsuits. On the eve of trial, Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to pay $650 million in Pradaxa settlements, with an average of about $150,000 per claim.
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