Why We Will Be Hearing More About Xarelto in the Near Future

Washington, DCThere are numerous signs that we’re going to be hearing a lot more about Xarelto in the coming months and years. That’s because the consolidation of Xarelto lawsuits into multidistrict litigation means that bellwether trials will be starting later this year or next. What’s more, the very fact that the American population is aging, places drugs like Xarelto, an anticoagulant, in the forefront of public awareness. With aging baby boomers, more patients than ever before will need the thinning properties of drugs like Xarelto in order to help prevent blood clots and strokes.

But there is another reason why we’ll be hearing a lot more about Xarelto in the coming years. Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) is one of three relatively new drugs that have entered the scene to challenge the market dominance of Coumadin (warfarin). The latter has been around for five decades and has been the defacto go-to drug for patients in need of an ongoing anticoagulant.

The manufacturers of Xarelto and others are on a mission to knock Coumadin off its perch, so much so that manufacturers are spending big dollars to persuade doctors that drugs like Xarelto have benefits over Coumadin, and are worth giving a try.

How much play the potential for a Xarelto bleeding issue has in such marketing and promotion initiatives is unknown. What is known, however, is that in the remaining five months of 2013, the manufacturers of Xarelto, Pradaxa and Eliquis - three blood thinners that are considered heirs to the Coumadin throne - spent $19.4 million between them on doctors and teaching hospitals. Such efforts, according to the New York Times (1/8/15), include treating doctors to dinner, remuneration for promotional speeches, consulting jobs and “educational” gifts.

Are these efforts kosher? Pundits say that doctors and manufacturers are walking a fine line that is very easy to cross. The New York Times report notes that several manufacturers, including the makers of Xarelto, have been faulted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for improper promotion and marketing practices.

Coumadin has been, and remains, an effective blood thinner - provided patients adhere to rules over strict monitoring and diet limitations. The new crop of blood thinners, including Xarelto, does not need the kind of stringent monitoring required of warfarin use. Additionally, with Xarelto and others of its ilk, there is little need to watch what you eat.

The problem is in the event of an unforeseen and sudden Xarelto Bleeding Issue. Patients on warfarin also have to be careful about the potential for a bleeding issue, caused when blood that has been thinned and is allowed to flow freely through a wound or ruptured blood vessel loses its capacity to clot, and therefore, halt the bleeding.

Coumadin, however, has always had an ace up its sleeve: Vitamin K, which - when administered in the midst of a hemorrhage - can quickly reverse the thinning properties of Coumadin, helping to halt the bleeding.

Where’s the exit strategy?

There is no such option for Xarelto. When a Xarelto Bleedout begins, there is little doctors can do to stop it.

The result can often lead to Xarelto Death.

Manufacturers of Xarelto and its competitors are exploring options for an antidote after the fact. In the meantime, manufacturers are continuing to spend big dollars on new anticoagulants such as Xarelto, touting their efficacy and convenience.

The numbers for drug promotion come through Open Payments, a database administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The data was analyzed by ProPublica, identified by the New York Times as an independent, not-for-profit newsroom that generates investigative journalism in the public interest.

It was noted that data breaking out just how many promotional and marketing dollars were spent for individual drugs, wasn’t available.

Meanwhile, while all this promotional activity is going on behind the scenes, many a Xarelto lawsuit has claimed that unforeseen Xarelto Bleeding complications compromised an individual’s health or resulted in Xarelto death. Plaintiffs have asserted that they were not made aware that some serious Xarelto Side Effects such as a serious bleeding issue could not be reversed, as it can with warfarin.

In the event of a Xarelto bleeding issue, an exit strategy would be most welcome…