A Pennsylvania jury recently found that the Xarelto bleeding warning put on the medication’s label by Johnson & Johnson and Bayer may not have been effective enough to warn patients about the serious side effects.
A bleeding warning may have been the only opportunity for those consumers and their doctors to figure out whether or not the medication was the right choice and to verify alternatives.
A Pennsylvania jury determined that the bleeding warning was not sufficient in giving ample opportunity for patients to figure out how to protect themselves.
A second trial over the internal bleeding risks linked to Xarelto launched in Philadelphia recently as jurors heard claims that Johnson & Johnson and Bayer AG did not warn physicians about the bleeding risk of the medication when used in conjunction with other drugs.
Across state and federal courts, Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals Inc. and their Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, have faced five different trials already regarding the bleeding risk.
Many of those patients came forward to file lawsuits and accused the manufacturers of failing to include an appropriate bleeding warning.. In three federal cases that were tried as part of a federal MDL program in Louisiana, juries found for the defense.
But one case in the Philadelphia court of common pleas, which concluded in 2017, led to more than a $28 million verdict that was finally thrown out after post-trial motions.
Plaintiffs in the Xarelto bleeding warning cases are still continuing to pursue claims that the drug manufacturers failed to appropriately warn that use of Xarelto alongside medications such as Plavix and Aspirin, carried a much higher risk of bleeding events.
The medication mix was prescribed once the plaintiff in that bleeding warning trial underwent an April 2013 emergency treatment for irregular heartbeat and a blocked coronary artery.
Court records indicate in the bleeding warning lawsuit for that patient that he was prescribed a combination of Plavix and Aspirin to prevent clotting in the area following a stent being placed to treat the blocked artery.
The same patient was also prescribed Xarelto to prevent clots from forming inside his heart.
Unfortunately, court records show that he was back in the emergency room with internal bleeding just one week after beginning treatment with .
Doctors and other experts who have testified in the trial claim that the manufacturers are responsible for the injuries sustained by patients who were not told about the appropriate bleeding warning and were therefore put at risk of developing serious side effects, including gastrointestinal bleeds that carry a life-threatening risk.
The Bleeding Warning Lawsuit is Case No. 150500362, in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
If you or someone you know has suffered side effects because of the lack of Xarelto bleeding warnings, you may have grounds to pursue a case with the help of the attorneys at McDonald Worley.
Disclaimer: McDonald Worley is not representing the plaintiff in this lawsuit.