An Alabama Xarelto lawsuit may be an option for patients who experienced uncontrollable bleeding after taking the medication to prevent blood clots. Lawsuits allege that Bayer Healthcare and Janssen Pharmaceutical failed to warn patients and health care providers of the potentially serious and life-threatening risks associated with the medication. Affected patients and their families may be able to file an Alabama Xarelto lawsuit and seek compensation with the help of an attorney.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Alabama to learn more about your options. We offer free, confidential, no obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with an affiliated Alabama Xarelto lawsuit attorney.
What is Xarelto?
Xarelto is a drug that is designed to thin the blood to prevent it from clotting. Bayer Healthcare manufactures the drug while Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, markets Xarelto in the U.S. The drug is commonly prescribed to patients with atrial fibrillation and those who have recently undergone hip and knee replacements.
Since it was first approved, the FDA has received hundreds of injury reports in connection with the drug. Lawsuits allege that affected patients experience severe and uncontrollable bleeding while using the medication because there is currently no antidote available to stop the bleeding once it begins.
How Does Xarelto Work?
Xarelto is a blood thinner, so it prevents the blood from forming clots. The human body creates blood clots after it suffers an injury to prevent excessive bleeding from occurring. In some cases, the blood clots too much or inside the blood vessels. If the clot breaks free and travels to the lungs or brain, it can be fatal. Xarelto is designed to prevent this from happening.
Risk of Injury
While the risk of some bleeding is a known side effect of blood thinners, affected patients claim that the drug causes excessive and uncontrollable bleeding that can be fatal. Severe side effects that have been linked to Xarelto include:
- Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis
- Bleeding the in gastrointestinal tract
- Hematoma, or solid swelling of clotted blood in the tissues
- Cerebrovascular complications, including stroke
- Severe swelling in the ankles and legs
Xarelto Lawsuit Claims
An Alabama Xarelto lawsuit attorney notes that injured patients are claiming that Bayer and Janssen knew that Xarelto was defective, yet they kept promoting its use as an equally beneficial alternative to traditional anticoagulants that are currently on the market. In one lawsuit, the family of a deceased patient alleged that the drug makers:
- Failed to disclose the known increased risk of bleeding with use of Xarelto.
- Failed to notify the public about their knowledge of the link between bleeding risks and Xarelto use.
- Falsely promoted the drug’s supposed benefits and convenience to increase sales
- Failed to conduct necessary clinical trials on the drug’s effects on humans before marketing the drug
A major safety concern with Xarelto is the inability to manage resultant bleeding with an antidote, such as vitamin K, which is used in connection with the well-known blood thinner warfarin. As a result, patients who take Xarelto may suffer bleeding and have no treatment available. This can lead to serious injured or death. Xarelto lawsuits claim that the drug makers, despite knowledge of these risks, continued to market the drug as a superior alternative to other anticoagulants.
Other Xarelto Side Effects
In addition to bleeding risks, Xarelto causes a number of other side effects. Some of the most common include the following:
- Bleeding gums
- Blood in the urine
- Coughing or vomiting blood
- Dizziness
- Excessive bruising
- Headaches
The FDA has received over 2,000 adverse event reports in connection with Xarelto use. Patients who have suffered severe side effects after taking Xarelto are encouraged to seek the counsel of an Alabama Xarelto lawyer to learn more about their legal rights.
How an Alabama Xarelto Lawsuit Can Help
It is the duty of drug makers to provide drugs that are safe, and to warn of side effects that could cause harm. If they do not fulfill that duty, drug makers can be held liable for injuries to patients that may result.
Patients who are injured by Xarelto may be entitled to compensation, which can be based on:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future pain, suffering, and mental anguish
- The permanency of the injury
- Loss of income or ability to work
If a patient dies from complications after taking Xarelto, his or her family members may be entitled to compensation for a loved one’s wrongful death. Wrongful death damages may include:
- Conscious pain and suffering of a loved one prior to death
- Loss of financial support
- Loss of relationship with the loved one
- Mental anguish from the loss of a loved one
Contact Us For More Information
If you or a loved one took Xarelto and suffered complications, contact Attorney Group for Alabama for more information. You can fill out the form on this page, call us at the number listed at the top of the page, or email us at info@attorneygroup.com.
When you contact us, an attorney will follow up with you to speak with you about your case or answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
