Xarelto is an anticoagulant, or blood thinner, prescribed for patients experiencing heart and vascular conditions, like atrial fibrillation, blood clotting, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. However, Xarelto is believed to cause far more complications than its relatively safer predecessor, Warfarin or Coumadin. Xarelto is marketed as being superior to alternative prescriptions like Warfarin because it does not require routine blood testing.

The FDA admonished the seller of Xarelto, Johnson & Johnson, for false or misleading advertising because they had minimized the risks associated with Xarelto and made a misleading claim.

Xarelto has been called into question for its claims regarding the necessity of monitoring when the drug is taken, as well as Xarelto’s inability to be counteracted.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Xarelto in July of 2011 for treatment of patients with hip or knee replacement surgery. In November of 2011, the drug was approved for patients with irregular heart rhythms to reduce the risk of stroke while updating the warnings, including a boxed warning, regarding the risks of discontinuing Xarelto in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. Additional warnings were added to Xarelto in August of 2013, indicating that stopping Xarelto prematurely may increase the risk of thrombotic events or blood clots. In January 2014, Xarelto added a new warning that the drug could raise the risk of an acute pulmonary embolism in hemodynamically unstable patients or patients who require thrombolysis or pulmonary embolectomy. The Xarelto safety label was amended again in February 2014 to include the study results of patients with doses of the antibiotic erythromycin with poorly functioning kidneys (renal insufficiency) and found these patients may have an increased risk of bleeding.

Injuries resulting from the improper use of Xarelto include:

  • Intracranial Hemorrhage
  • Epidural Hematoma
  • Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage
  • Retinal Hemorrhage
  • Adrenal Bleeding
  • Stroke
  • Death

If you have experienced a bleeding episode like the ones above after taking Xarelto,  contact the Schwaba Law Firm. Let us see if we can help you recover.