Vermont Man’s Death Linked to Xarelto, According to Plaintiffs
Although relatively few US personal injury Xarelto lawsuits have alleged that Xarelto, a blood-thinner manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Bayer, has caused serious bleeding events and death, there are serious concerns regarding the drug’s safety.
One wrongful death Xarelto lawsuit involving was filed in the US District Court for the District of Vermont on July 25th. Plaintiffs were the family of a Vermont man who only took Xarelto for 10 days before a sudden and uncontrollable brain bleed led to his death.
Among many claims, the Xarelto injury lawsuit claims that Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals hid the potential dangers of the blood thinner from consumers and doctors. Other Xarelto lawsuits pending in federal courts across the country make similar allegations.
In June of this year, a study from the Institute for Safe Medicine Practices reported that bleeding incidents and adverse events related to Xarelto prescriptions are on the rise. As of 2013, the FDA has received 680 complaints alleging injuries and death from Xarelto.
Another plaintiff, Kentucky resident Virginia Stunteneck, survived her bleeding incident caused by Xarelto, and recently filed a lawsuit against Bayer in the US District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She suffered gastrointestinal bleeding in 2013 and was hospitalized for several days for treatment. Concerning, given that Xarelto is advertised as a drug that you can take without the worry of frequent blood monitoring.
Numerous concerns have been raised about the safety of blood thinners recently – not only Xarelto, but Pradaxa as well, and a long-trusted blood thinner, warfarin. However, warfarin’s blood thinning effects can be countered by administering a dose of vitamin K, to increase the blood’s clotting abilities; there is currently no antidote for Xarelto, and therefore no way to halt bleeding events, making the drug especially dangerous for patients.
“As the manufacturers and distributors of Xarelto, defendants knew or should have known that Xarelto use was associated with irreversible bleeds,” Stunteneck’s complaint said.
Xarelto was approved by the FDA in 2011. In the first 3 months of 2012, the blood thinner’s popularity sky-rocketed – around 130,000 prescriptions were written for Xarelto in the US alone. However, some doctors began expressing concern about Xarelto – not only because there is no known antidote, but because, unlike warfarin, the drug has no routine anticoagulant screening to help monitor patients’ safety and prevent internal bleeding or blood clots.
Expressing concerns for the blood thinner, the FDA rejected expanded use of Xarelto in patients who have acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
“We appreciate the thoroughness of the committee’s review and continue to believe rivaroxaban, in addition to the current standard of care, may help provide patients with ACS additional protection against life-threatening cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack and stroke,” Paul Burton, VP of clinical development for J&J’s Janssen R&D segment said in a statement.
The FDA, however, disagreed with Janssen’s assessment of Xarelto’s effectiveness for preventing heart attacks or stroke in coronary patients, noting that the company did not show enough compelling safety testing as evidence.
The Strom Law Firm Fights for Patients Injured by Dangerous Drugs Like Xarelto
Without routine monitoring and an antidote, Xarelto puts patients at serious risk of life-threatening side effects or event death.
Side effects from Xarelto use can include:
- Uncontrolled bleeding events
- Pulmonary embolism
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Gastrointestinal hemorrhage
- Hemoglobin decrease
- Cerebrovascular accidents
- Hematoma (collecting or pooling of blood inside blood vessels)
- Edema peripheral (tissue swelling)
- Dyspnea (difficulty breathing or shortness of breath)
The pharmaceutical liability lawyers at The Strom Law Firm, LLC are at the forefront of the fight to protect the public and will stand up for your rights against the big drug and insurance companies. We will fight to ensure that you and your loved ones receive the justice you deserve. Contact our defective drug and wrongful death attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC today for a free consultation to discuss the facts of your case as well as your legal rights. 803.252.4800
