Number of Xarelto Lawsuits in MDL Approaches 1,700

Anaheim, CAThe number of Xarelto lawsuits consolidated in a multidistrict litigation is approaching 1,700 as more patients file Xarelto side effects lawsuits alleging they suffered serious complications linked to their use of the drug. Among the serious side effects reportedly linked to the use of Xarelto, plaintiffs allege, is an increased risk of uncontrolled bleeding.

On its own, Xarelto (known generically as rivaroxaban) might still seem like a wonder drug. After all, it is used to reduce the risk of blood clots and strokes, which can be fatal. The problem, however, is that it is a newer-generation anticoagulant, and used to replace warfarin (sold under the brand name Coumadin). Warfarin also had an increased risk of uncontrolled bleeding, but unlike the newer-generation anticoagulants, it has an antidote: vitamin K.

Newer-generation anticoagulants did not come with an antidote for bleeding events, so relatively minor injuries could become serious complications for some patients.

Xarelto and other newer-generation anticoagulants were also marketed as being easier to use than warfarin, and not requiring regular blood monitoring to ensure blood levels stay within therapeutic ranges. But critics say because there is still a risk of uncontrolled bleeding, patients should still undergo blood monitoring.

Add to that Xarelto’s expense and an argument that Xarelto is no more effective than warfarin, and suddenly Xarelto might not seem like such a wonder drug.

That’s why some patients have filed lawsuits alleging they were harmed by the use of Xarelto and not adequately warned about the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. They say if they had known about the risk of uncontrolled bleeding, they would never have taken the medication. According to records from the Judicial Panel for Multidistrict Litigation, as of October 15, 2015, there were 1,698 lawsuits consolidated in MDL-2592 before Judge Eldon E. Fallon. That’s a huge jump from the 805 lawsuits that were consolidated as of July 15, 2015.

As the number of patients prescribed Xarelto increases, so does the number of adverse events linked to the medication. According to the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (5/7/14), information from the first quarter of 2013 showed that the number of serious adverse events linked to Xarelto outnumbered those linked to Pradaxa.

According to reports, the first bellwether trials in Xarelto litigation are expected to be heard in court in early 2017, leaving time for patients or their loved ones to file their own lawsuits. Lawsuits have also been filed against the maker of Pradaxa, another newer-generation anticoagulant medication.