BloodThinnerHelp.com reports on international investigations that have been launched on Xarelto. While the number of Xarelto lawsuits in the United States court system has been steadily growing, regulators in Canada have recently announced investigations into reports of liver injuries that may be associated with Xarelto usage. A Health Canada document released on August 26 reports that they have received 61 reports of liver injuries in patients taking Xarelto and the World Health Organization's (WHO) database showed 431 incidences of liver injury and in 23 of these cases, Xarelto was the only drug the patient was using.
A definitive link between the reported injuries and Xarelto usage has not been identified yet. Health Canada is encouraging Xarelto users to report any liver-related adverse events as they will continue to monitor the situation and prepare to respond.
Xarelto Side Effects
Xarelto was released onto the United States market after being approved by the FDA in 2011. The drug is manufactured by Bayer AG and Johnson&Johnson's pharmaceutical unit, Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Xarelto is an anticoagulant that has been used to treat atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. The drug is an Xa inhibitor, making it different from traditional blood thinners such as Warfarin, the most distinct and dangerous difference being that there is no antidote to Xarelto. In the event of an internal bleeding emergency when the patient is taking Warfarin, doctors can administer vitamin K to make the blood clot again. If a patient taking Xarelto suffers from an internal bleeding event, there is no drug that can be administered to make the blood clot and the patient may experience an uncontrollable internal bleed. Xarelto currently has two black box warnings attached to it, the most strict warnings the FDA can issue to a drug short of recalling it.
Xarelto Lawsuits in the United States
At this point, more than 1,200 lawsuits have been filed in the Xarelto Multidistrict Litigation in New Orleans, Louisiana. A majority of these cases commonly allege that they experienced serious complications related to Xareto use and that Xarelto usage caused them to have an internal bleeding event which caused them some form of serious injury. These cases have been consolidated into the MDL to expedite the judicial process and save resources. There is also a mass tort group in Pennsylvania's Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas with around 400 lawsuits filed in it. These lawsuits also allege that the manufacturers of Xarelto failed to adequately warn patients about the risks associated with Xarelto and marketed the drug as superior to Warfarin even though Warfarin has an antidote and Xarelto does not.
"We are very interested in all matters concerning the safety of Xarelto since we are currently representing clients who allegedly have been injured by the drug in the United States." said Marc Goldich, experienced Xarelto attorney. "We encourage anyone who believes they may have been injured by Xarelto to contact us for a free case evaluation and consultation."
For any questions regarding this press release or the pending Xarelto litigation, please contact Marc Goldich at (866) 425-8902.
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Contact BloodThinnerHelp.com:
Marc Goldich
866-425-8902
1500 Walnut Street, 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
