Xarelto® is a prescription medication used to prevent blood clots in patients that recently underwent joint replacement surgery. Unfortunately, many patients that have used Xarelto® experience severe and potentially fatal side-effects.
Despite multiple warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the serious risks of using Xarelto®, the drug’s manufacturers have continued to market this dangerous medication to patients and doctors as a safe and effective way to prevent blood clots and strokes.
If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries after taking the blood-thinning medication Xarelto®, Henson Fuerst is here to help. Our experienced North Carolina Drug Injury attorneys will fight to secure the fair compensation you deserve for your serious injuries.
Misleading Advertising
Rivaroxaban, marketed under the brand name Xarelto®, was approved by the FDA in 2011. Xarelto® is a member of a new family of anti-coagulant, or blood-thinner, drugs known as New Oral Anti-Coagulants (NOACs).
The drug’s manufactures created Xarelto® as an alternative to older blood-thinners such as Warfarin that required patients to take monthly blood tests. Johnson & Johnson, as well as their subsidiaries Janssen Pharmaceuticals and the Bayer Corporation, marketed Xarelto® by promising patients increased convenience and freedom.
Multiple scientific studies have concluded that there is no data to support Xarelto’s® claim that patients would no longer require monthly blood tests. In fact, thousands of patients taking Xarelto® have been seriously or even fatally harmed by this medication after dangerous side-effects were left unchecked by their doctors.
In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration wrote a letter to Johnson & Johnson informing them that marketing for Xarelto® was misleading, and minimized the risks associated with taking the medication.
Black Box Warning
In 2013, Xarelto® received a Black Box warning from the Food and Drug Administration. Black Box warnings from the FDA identify medications that pose a significant risk of serious or life-threatening side effects for patients.
In their warning, the FDA highlighted serious risks associated with the use of Xarelto®, including:
- Thrombotic Events: such as stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
- Spinal/Epidural Hematoma: A swelling of clotted blood within the tissue on the spine or central nervous system which can cause permanent paralysis
- Serious and Fatal Bleeding
- Pregnancy-Related Hemorrhage
Unlike alternative blood thinners like Warfarin, Xarelto’s® side effects have no known antidote or treatment.
The FDA also recommended that the following groups of people avoid the use of Xarelto®, as they may be at increased risk of experiencing adverse reactions:
- Nursing mothers
- Patients with renal, or kidney, impairment
- Patients with hepatic, or liver, disease or impairment
- Patients taking anticoagulant medications
Henson Fuerst Is Here to Help
Despite numerous warnings from the FDA, Xarelto® remains on the market and has placed thousands of patients at risk. The Wall Street Journal reports that sales of Xarelto® topped $1 Billion worldwide in 2014.
Drug manufacturers put corporate profits over patient safety by continuing to insist that Xarelto® is safe and effective. In 2014, lawsuits against the manufacturers of Xarelto® were consolidated into one Multi District Litigation (MDL) in the Eastern District Court of Louisiana.
If you or a loved one suffered a stroke, heart attack, severe internal bleeding, or any other severe side-effects after taking Xarelto®, Henson Fuerst is here to help. Contact our experienced North Carolina Drug Injury lawyers today at (919) 781-1107 or complete a free initial consultation form online.
Henson Fuerst has extensive experience representing the rights of patients that were injured by a dangerous or defective drug. We stand up to major drug manufacturers on behalf of our clients and will fight to secure the full and fair compensation you deserve for your injuries.
At Henson Fuerst, you will never pay an attorney’s fee up front. In fact you owe us nothing unless we recover for you.
