Rivaroxaban or Xarelto, as it is more commonly known, is one of the newest additions to the family of blood thinners. It is manufactured by the drug company Bayer but is marketed in the U.S. by a subsidiary of Johnson & Jonhson’s, Janssen Pharmaceuticals. In 2011 Xarelto was approved by the FDA and was introduced to the market where it quickly began out-competing its predecessors, Camoudin and Pradaxa. So great was its competition that in 2013 it outsold Pradaxa two to one. In 2015, Xarelto earned its manufacturer and marketer $2 billion in revenues and sales continue to increase. It is now the single most prescribed blood thinner on the market. Despite all this success, Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals are now facing numerous lawsuits because of the drug’s tendency to cause uncontrolled bleeding and in some cases death.

All blood thinners carry a risk of causing excessive bleeding. The problem is when on the blood thinner Camoudin the bleeding can be treated by administering vitamin K. Xarelto, however, has no known antidote and dialysis cannot remove Xarelto from a patient’s system. This opens up the possibility of a minor injury becoming fatal. The FDA has even been forced to warn the manufacturer of Xarelto about a print advertisement that did not properly disclose the risks of using the product.  The information on the print advertisement seemed to suggest that the risks were not noteworthy. Lawyers also claim that if physicians and patients had been sufficiently warned about the dangers of using Xarelto that they would have opted to use an alternative like Camoudin. It’s no wonder why many believe that Xarelto’s maker is putting profit over the wellbeing of its customers.

Presently the manufacturer and marketer of Xarelto are being sued for:

  • The emotional distress caused by caring for loved ones who had medical complications while on Xarelto.
  • Damages caused by emergency visits, ongoing care, and lost wages.
  • Negligence on the part of Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals for releasing a dangerous drug.
  • Damages caused by funeral expenses for loved ones who died as a result of using Xarelto.