Modern medicine, in the form of prescription drugs, can be a life saver.  Prescription drugs, when properly administered, can relieve many debilitating ailments, allowing individuals to live a satisfying and productive life.  Without prescription drugs many people would not be able to live, work, play and carry on their daily activities.  Prescription drugs can alleviate pain, cure infections, treat virus, and provide myriad other benefits such as minimizing the risk of more severe medical problems.

That’s exactly what Xarelto, introduced to the U.S. market in 2011, was supposed to do – minimize the risk of a more severe medical problem, specifically a stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation.  Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid and irregular beating.  A stroke is a very serious medical condition caused by poor blood flow to the brain; often times the poor blood flow is caused by a clot in the blood stream that prevents proper blood flow to the brain.

Prescription drug Xarelto, taken orally, is a Direct Thrombin Inhibitor Anticoagulant, which in simple terms means it’s a blood thinner – the medication thins the blood to allow better blood flow to the brain thus reducing the risk of stroke.  However, Xarelto has not always worked as intended – the drug has been linked to uncontrollable internal bleeding.

Unfortunately, many people in the United States have filed lawsuits against the drug manufacturer, Bayer, as well as the U.S. marketer subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals.   In many of these cases patients were prescribed Xarelto in place of other common anticoagulants (blood thinners) such as Coumadin (warfarin).  This example of an alternative drug to Xarelto is much less expensive and has been proven to have less risk of causing uncontrolled bleeding.  In addition, if uncontrolled bleeding does occur it is much easier to control when caused by alternatives such as Coumadin versus Xarelto.

If you or a loved one, like others in the United States, has been injured by taking Xarelto, a lawsuit may provide some solace and comfort in the form of monetary compensation.  Monetary compensation can be recovered for financial losses that occurred as a result of the injury; such as loss of income from missed work, costs of medical care, including future medical care, as well as mental anguish as a result of dealing with the unexpected side effects.

Prior to prescribing medications, doctors should warn patients as to the side effects.  For example, prior to prescribing Xarelto a doctor should warn about the possible side effect of uncontrollable internal bleeding.  In addition, doctors should warn patients that uncontrollable bleeding caused by Xarelto could not be reversed as easily as with other anticoagulants (blood thinners).  Further, prior to prescribing Xarelto doctors should make the patient aware of alternative medications and the risks and benefits associated with each.

If a doctor prescribed you Xarelto and failed to warn of the side effects and/or alternative options for different medications – you may be entitled to monetary compensation from a lawsuit.  If you believe you or a loved one was injured by Xarelto, contact our office today for a full case assessment to determine the availability of a loss suit to recover money for the injuries and damages resulting from this potentially dangerous drug.