NEW YORK, Nov. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — A Pennsylvania jury has been convened to hear evidence in a Xarelto lawsuitfiled on behalf of an Indiana woman who allegedly suffered serious gastrointestinal bleeding after using the novel anticoagulant for a little over a year. The case is the first to go to trial in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where more than 1,500 Xarelto bleeding claims have been centralized in a mass tort program. (Case No. 160503416)

During Monday’s opening statements, the plaintiff’s attorney asserted that the drug’s manufacturers manipulated clinical trial data and downplayed important safety information to make Xarelto appear safer and more effective than competing blood thinners, such as warfarin.

“Our Firm is representing a number of plaintiffs who are pursuing similar Xarelto claims. We will be watching the Philadelphia trial closely for any developments that could impact our clients’ cases,” says Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective medical devices and drugs. The Firm continues to evaluate potential Xarelto lawsuits on behalf of individuals who may have been harmed by this blood-thinning medication.

Xarelto Bleeding Allegations

Approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in October 2011, Xarelto is jointly marketed by Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary. The blood thinner is currently indicated for the prevention of strokes in people with atrial fibrillation; the treatment of patients suffering from deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism; and the prevention of deep vein thrombosis in people undergoing hip or knee implant surgery.

Like other new-generation blood thinners, Xarelto has been touted as an improvement over decades-old warfarin. However, internal bleeding caused by warfarin can be stopped by the administration of vitamin K. There is currently no approved agent to reverse Xarelto bleeding.

Johnson & Johnson’s most recent earnings statement indicates that more than 21,000 Xarelto lawsuits have been filed in courts throughout the United States.  Plaintiffs involved in this litigation claim that the drug’s manufacturers downplayed the potential for Xarelto bleeding and wrongly promoted the drug as a superior alternative to warfarin. In addition to noting the lack of a reversal agent for Xarelto bleeding, plaintiffs take issue with the medication’s one-size-fits-all dosing regimen and dispute the defendants’ assertions that there is no need to subject Xarelto patients to routine blood monitoring.

The majority of Xarelto lawsuits are currently pending in a federal multidistrict litigation underway in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana, where three trials have already concluded with defense verdicts. Additional Xarelto bleeding claims have been filed in Delaware, California and Missouri state courts.

Xarelto patients who allegedly experienced bleeding-related complications may be entitled to compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. To learn more about filing a Xarelto lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website, or call 800-511-5092 to arrange for a free, no obligation case review.