Albuquerque Xarelto Lawsuits – Ron Bell Injury Lawyers
Ron Bell Personal Injury Lawyers are currently accepting new cases related to injuries caused by the blood-thinning medication Xarelto®. Xarelto® has been shown to cause extensive internal bleeding and other dangerous side effects. If your health has been compromised by this drug, or if a family member died because of complications caused by Xarelto®, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer and claim financial compensation for injuries and losses. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
A Safer Blood Thinner?
Xarelto® is an anticoagulant medication used to prevent strokes and blood clots by thinning the blood. It is manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc and Bayer Pharma AG. Unlike some blood thinners, Xarelto® doesn’t require regular blood testing or monitoring and it is administered orally in a form of a pill taken once a day. Both of these factors make Xarelto® one of the “new generation” coagulant drugs – blood thinners that were supposed to have been safer to use, more versatile and more convenient both for doctors and patients.
Xarelto® was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011 as a form of treatment for non-valvular atrial fibrosis – a condition causing abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to strokes. In 2013, the FDA approved it to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism – potentially deadly conditions related to the formation of blood clots in the body. Xarelto® went on to become the most-prescribed of the new generation coagulant drugs – both in the U.S. and around the world.
Named One of the Most Dangerous Drugs
Nevertheless, Xarelto®, like many other blood thinners, can have serious side-effects including severe internal bleeding. In fact, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has named Xarelto® one of the drugs most likely to require an emergency room visit. Until very recently, there was no antidote for the internal bleeding caused by Xarelto®. This means that patients who sustained bleeding while taking Xarelto® were at risk of bleeding to death. An antidote has recently been approved by the FDA but it is unlikely that it will be available for the general market sooner than early 2019. Xarelto® may cause other side effects such as difficulty breathing or swallowing, muscle spasms, wound complications, fatigue or tiredness and other.
Xarelto® Lawsuits
Sadly, Xarelto® has been associated with the death of 350 people and thousands of severe cases of internal bleeding. The manufacturers of the drug – Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc and Bayer Pharma AG – are currently facing almost 21,000 individual lawsuits claiming that the companies put patients at unnecessary risk of severe bleeds and death. These lawsuits have recently been combined into multidistrict litigation (MDL) and transferred to a court in Louisiana.
In December 2017, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Bayer Pharma AG were ordered to pay $28 million to a plaintiff who claimed she was hospitalized with gastrointestinal bleeding after using Xarelto® for a year. $26 million of the awarded damages were awarded as punitive damages – that is, not as a measure to compensate the plaintiff but rather to punish the companies for what the jury thought was a particularly irresponsible behavior. The drug’s manufacturers are planning to appeal the verdict.
We Can Help
If you have used Xarelto® in the past and suffered internal bleeding or other serious side-effects related to this drug, you may have a basis for a lawsuit and a chance to obtain financial compensation for your injuries. Our trusted team at Ron Bell Personal Injury Lawyers can help you. Contact us today at 505-898-2355 for a free consultation on your case.
