Columbus, OHExpectations that Xarelto, a blood thinner, would emerge to become a blockbuster drug were well-founded. In the four years since rivaroxoaban was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011, Xarelto has achieved annual sales of over $1 billion in the United States alone, according to conservative estimates. The anticoagulant has also grabbed the largest market share for all anticoagulants. However, the success achieved by Johnson & Johnson and Bayer is not without controversy over Xarelto Bleeding complications and other side effects.
To that end, one of the latest Xarelto lawsuits was filed earlier this month in Ohio. Plaintiff Molly Harr, in her Xarelto lawsuit, claims that she was prescribed Xarelto for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AFib). By November of that year, Harr was experiencing gastrointestinal bleeding.
When Xarelto and one other new-age blood thinner came onto the scene, there was much anticipation considering the new drugs represented the first significant update to blood thinners since the traditional standby Coumadin (warfarin) first appeared on the market more than 50 years ago, rising to become the gold standard for treatment of AFib.
But not without frustration, given the constant monitoring of blood and diet in order to keep the balance right and Coumadin working properly. Warfarin proved a lot of work for both patient and health care provider, and the medical community has for years been looking for an easier, more convenient and more effective alternative that would prove less of a strain on the health care system simply in terms of monitoring.
That panacea finally arrived with the appearance of Xarelto and one other new-age blood thinner, Pradaxa. Both products touted the capacity to dispense with the need for constant blood monitoring. Doctors embraced the dynamic duo in droves - hence the impressive sales figures for Xarelto.
But that enthusiasm has since been tempered given the lack of a handy antidote to deploy should a Xarelto Bleeding Issue occur. Warfarin is blessed with an Achilles heel: vitamin K. In the event of a severe bleeding issue resulting from blood that has perhaps thinned a bit too effectively, the introduction of vitamin K has the ability to quickly reverse the thinning properties of warfarin, saving a patient from a potentially fatal hemorrhage.
There is no such antidote for Xarelto, although one is in development. The fact remains however that Xarelto was granted FDA approval without a similar means to reverse its blood-thinning properties in the same way as warfarin. What’s more, say plaintiffs, the claim for less monitoring effectively adds to the danger, or so it is alleged. Plaintiffs claim that defendants were negligent in promoting the need for less stringent monitoring given the inability to stem a Xarelto Bleedout in similar fashion to warfarin.
Many a Xarelto lawsuit has alleged significant injury, and even Xarelto death.
Xarelto lawsuits have been consolidated in the US District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana before US District Judge Eldon Fallon, who is preparing for four bellwether trials in 2017. While the trial dates have been set, the cases have not been chosen. However, there are plenty to choose from in the pool: as of mid-September, there were no fewer than 1,710 lawsuits alleging grievous Xarelto Side Effects consolidated in multidistrict litigation. That number will be narrowed down to a pool of 40, from which the four bellwether cases will be selected, likely by this coming January.
The latest lawsuit, filed in Ohio, is Molly A. Harr et al v. Janssen Research & Development LLC f/k/a/Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development LLC, et al, Case No. 1:2015cv00647 filed October 5, 2015 in Ohio Southern District Court.
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