“Xarelto” is a “dumb drug”

One of the drug litigations that I am substantially involved in concerns a new generation blood thinner called Xarelto. Perhaps you’ve seen the commercials featuring Arnold Palmer, a race car driver and professional basketball player touting the benefits of this medication. While you may be familiar with older blood thinners like Coumadin and Warfarin, the manufacturers of Xarelto have been heavily promoting the lack of medical monitoring required for this new generation blood thinner and the benefits of additional freedoms for its users. However, Xarelto has a major issue – people are bleeding to death while taking it. I have clients who bumped their head or sustained a minor cut and could not stop the bleeding. Obviously, as a blood thinner, Xarelto increases the likelihood of bleeding episodes, but what makes it particularly concerning is that it does not have an antidote to stop the bleeding. In contrast, older blood thinners such as Coumadin and Warfarin simply required the use of vitamin K to stop bleeding episodes.

To make matters worse, the manufacturers of Xarelto have downplayed the need for medical monitoring. They prescribe the same dosage for virtually all patients, putting them at risk without proper medical monitoring and an antidote.

After only five years on the market, there are already nearly 9,000 lawsuits pending against the manufacturer of Xarelto. This is an unprecedented number, as lawsuits are typically not filed until closer to the statute of limitations.

While there may be some benefits to new generation blood thinners, until there is an antidote to stop bleeding episodes, Xarelto is a “dumb drug.”