Oral anticoagulant Rivaroxaban, better known as Xarelto, has been at the center of numerous lawsuits due to a serious and dangerous side effect of uncontrollable bleeding. Xarelto is a blood thinner manufactured by Bayer and marketed by Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, prescribed to patients suffering from atrial fibrillation to help prevent blood clots.
The manufacturers of Xarelto have been marketing it with feel good advertisements featuring Arnold Palmer, Chris Bosh and other stars.
But there have been some very serious side effects including uncontrolled bleeding and death. To date, there have been nearly 3,000 lawsuits filed throughout the country that have been consolidated and assigned to U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon in Louisiana for multidistrict litigation. A judicial order issued in September 2015 has set trials to start as early as 2017.
Four trials have already been scheduled, with the first two being set for trial in the Eastern District of Louisiana on February 6, 2017 and March 13, 2017. An additional two are scheduled for April 24, 2017 in Mississippi and May 30, 2017 in Texas.
A Pretrial Order #11E was issued by Judge Fallon on March 21st which will allow up to 100 plaintiffs to group their complaints with a single filing fee in order to promote judicial efficiency and help minimize expenses for those involved.
Despite serious side effects and ongoing investigations, the FDA believes that Xarelto provides an important health benefit when used as directed, and continues to defend use of the drug.
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