Numerous Xarelto lawsuits have been filed in recent years. By September 2017 over 18,000 plaintiffs had filed Xarelto lawsuits in federal court against manufacturer Bayer and the drug’s U.S. marketer, Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Jannssen Pharmaceuticals. Plaintiffs claim that the drug can be difficult to administer properly and can complicate wound healing. The principal claim made against Xarelto, one of the world’s most commonly administered blood thinners, is that it presents very narrow therapeutic window. This means that the difference between the appropriate dose and a potentially dangerous overdose can be very small. As with other blood thinners Xarelto inhibits blood clotting. There is no known antidote to Xarelto, and the consequences of this can be quite dire. Xarelto plaintiffs contend that the drug was not properly developed and that Bayer and Janssen did not properly inform patients of its risks, particularly those related to the absence of a known antidote.
Multidistrict Litigation in Xarelto Lawsuits
As of September 2017 there are 18,561 cases pending under Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) (MDL -2592 IN RE: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) Products Liability Litigation) in federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Abilify cases were combined for the purpose of MDL in December 2014 to simplify and consolidate the litigation process.
Cases from around the country may be combined in a single court and judge in multidistrict litigation in order to combine and simplify pretrial discovery. If the cases are not settled or dismissed the presiding judge and parties involved may choose one or more representatives case to litigate. These “bellwether” cases offer guidance to other plaintiffs about if and how to continue. The remaining cases will then be returned to their home jurisdictions for litigation. Thus far, three bellwether cases have been decided in favor of the drug companies. There is a fourth case scheduled for trial in Texas in January 2018.
Xarelto Uses
Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is used to inhibit blood clotting and used in cases where there is a concern of strokes. As a blood thinner it prevents the activity of certain clotting agents, and is used to prevent or treat deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can lead to blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolism). DVT can occur after certain types of surgery. Xarelto is also used in people with atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder which is not related to a non-working valve.