HOW MANY mass tort leads ARE AVAILABLE ?
Choose a type of legal lead and see how many leads can be generated
Xarelto Mass Tort Leads
We generate mass tort leads from claimants who have been prescribed Xarelto, Pradaxa, and Zocor (or blood thinner of attorney’s choice), and had an overnight stay at a hospital that included a bleeding event while prescribed one of these blood thinners.
Below are two sources for these leads.
First, we have web form-filled submissions from claimants who have been qualified to have the following information:
- Had an overnight stay at a hospital for at least 24-hours
- The overnight stay included a diagnosed bleeding event
- Was prescribed Xarelto at the time
- Claimant has not hired representation
- Year of Injury within Statute of Limitations or time frame
requested
Please note that if, after a follow up, the claimant-lead does not meet these qualifications, you may exchange it for a replacement lead within 5 days (five consecutive 24-hour periods).
All Xarelto mass tort leads are unique to your firm and are delivered to your email in real-time, which is milliseconds after the claimant submits the information.
Second, we generate leads from production-ready television commercials. Specifically, it is a pay-per-call program. Here, claimants call your office from one of our proven commercials, and are required to pass the same filters in order to be considered a qualified lead.
Our advertisements have been based upon what has proven effective on a large scale, plus years of testing and implementing many categories of personal injury claims. Important factors include attention-grabbing content, graphics, and voices, as well as effective calls-to-action.
If you would like to see sample leads or have questions, please let us know. We can customize our leads as well.
WHY LAWYERS PURSUE XARELTO FOR MASS TORT LEAD GENERATION
What is Xarelto?
Why Claimants Need a Lawyer
Timeline: Approvals to Warnings
Xarelto and Excessive Bleeding
Xarelto LawSuits
Xarelto Side Effects
Xarelto Settlements
WHAT IS XARELTO?
Xarelto (rivaroxaban) is among the most recently approved blood-thinners that is prescribed for the prevention of blood clotting. Pradaxa was approved the previous year, and each drug essentially is an alternative to Warfarin. Xarelto’s anticoagulant properties block particular proteins that exist in the blood in order to create the anti-blood clotting effect.
Common reasons doctors write a prescription include:
- Atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heart beat
- Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), which is when a blood clot forms in a vein located deep inside the body
- Pulmonary embolism, which is when a vein in the lung becomes blocked
- Non-hemorrhagic strokes
- Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), which is when blood clots form in the vein
- Following surgery for a hip or knee replacement
- Preventative measure for re-formation of clots
Xarelto is taken orally and absorbs through the stomach. Its medicinal effect can last between 8 and 12 hours. The medication is developed and manufactured by German Pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG (Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceutical Division), and marketed in the United States by Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
“Johnson and Johnson . . . bid[s] to widen the market
for a drug poised to exceed $1 billion in sales [in 2014].”
-WALL STREET JOURNAL
According to the Wall Street Journal, Johnson & Johnson and Bayer pulled in over $1 billion from Xarelto sales in 2014, over $2 billion in 2015. Prescriptions for the drug breaks 23 million annually, and that is rising. J&J has approximate annual sales of $71 billion. In the article, the pharmaceutical company has been noted as having initiated clinical trials for Xarelto against three new diseases.
WHY XARELTO CLAIMANTS CONSIDER RETAINING A MASS TORT LAWYER
Xarelto’s primary intended medicinal effect is to stop the blood-clotting process. However, in the event of an internal bleeding issue, serious injury could occur because of the body’s inability to coagulate (develop blood clots), which leads to serious and sometimes fatal bleeding events.
According to pharmaceutical manufacturers Bayer and J&J, there is no antidote for the increase in the risk of bleeding that can cause a serious or deadly bleeding event.
Thus, medical doctors generally cannot prevent acute bleeding events. And this is the reason patients are required to end digestion of the oral drug within 24 hours of scheduled surgery.
Significantly, this danger could pose more serious risks for seniors. Although the anticoagulant promotes benefits that could serve as a helpful preventative measure, the medication resides in bodies of older people for longer periods of time. So in the event of a serious internal or external, such as a deep cut or head trauma, they could bleed to death.
Below are some legal claims asserted in the Xarelto MDL 2592 lawsuit:
- Failure to Warn
- Negligence
- Negligent Misrepresentation of drug’s Safety and Efficacy
- Breach of Express and Implied Warranties
- Fraud
- Violation of Consumer Protection Laws
- Punitive Damages
- Wrongful Death
Failure warn claims seem to be spearheading the Xarelto lawsuits. Plaintiffs assert that the pharmaceutical giants knew or should have known about the potential risks linked to the drug, yet failed to properly warn physicians and patients regarding those risks.
Further, patients have asserted that the medication was unreasonably designed and manufactured, making it unreasonably dangerous by exposing them to unnecessary risk
Xarelto Timeline Leads to Authorization, Approval, Recommendation . . . and Warnings
- September, 2008: Authorization by Health Canada, the Canadian governmental department that handles the country’s public health, to market Xarelto for the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) to patients who have surgery for hip or knee replacement surgery.
- September, 2008: Authorization to market Xarelto to by the European Commission to prevent VTE for patients who undergo hip replacement and knee replacement surgery
- July 1, 2011: Authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)to prevent DVTs and eventually pulmonary embolism (PE) for adult patients who undergo replacement surgery for the hip and knee
- November, 4, 2011: Xarelto gets approved by the FDA for the prevention of non-valvular atrial fibrillation
- July, 2012: Xarelto gets recommended to prevent and treat VTE by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
- August, 2013: Xarelto manufacturers required to change ads following the FDA’s assertion that associated side effects were downplayed. Additional requirement that drug has a boxed warning about dangerous premature discontinuation effects
- January 2014:FDA issues 5 warnings concerning Xarelto, including the statement that there is no available antidote to bleeding events caused by the medication
- February 2014:FDA issues boxed warning regarding Xarelto’s dangerous side effects, such as no antidote and risks linked to epidural anesthesia and spinal puncture
- December 2014: FDA requires warning label content to include adverse reaction to thrombocytopenia
- October, 2014: Potential antidote called developed by Portola Pharmaceuticals completes Phase I and Phase II clinical trials, and starts Phase III trials
- August, 2016: Antidote for the prevention of uncontrolled bleeding events due to Xarelto fails to get approval by the FDA
THE PROBLEM: XARELTO LEADS TO EXCESSIVE BLEEDING EVENTS
One of the main complications highlighted by Xarelto lawsuits is the uncontrolled or excessive bleeding events.
This is a serious side effect that may result in death. Unfortunately, internal bleeding often is the culprit, and the complication may not be clear to people outside of the medical profession. Symptoms include:
- Bruising easily
- Tired and fatigue
- Blood in the stool
- Pale skin color
- Dizziness, stroke-like symptoms
- Swelling of the abdomen
- Low blood cell counts or anemia
But side effects can be different for different patients. On one hand, individuals have witnessed bleeding complications shortly after taking the drug. On the other hand, excessive internal bleeding could be occurring for a longer period of time without the presence of symptoms.
Another related issue is the adverse interaction of Xarelto with other medications, something the FDA indicated had generated more problems than its likely number one competitor, the anticoagulant Pradaxa. In fact, Xarelto logged almost 700 reports of adverse events within 1Q of 2013.
Abdominal bleeding events also disfavors Xarelto compared to Warfarin. Specifically, when comparing Warfarin, the blood thinner that focuses on reducing vitamin K for blood thinning effects, to Xarelto, the latter demonstrated it was less effective at treating blood clots, as also caused more abdominal bleeding.
Ultimately, Xarelto’s excessive and uncontrolled bleeding complications caused multiple deaths. This has generated plaintiff lawsuits against the players involved, which include Bayer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Johnson & Johnson.
XARELTO SIDE EFFECTS
-Non-standard bruising
-Extended bleeding from cuts or gums
-Persistent or frequent nosebleeds
-Exceptionally heavy or extended menstrual flow
-Pink or dark colored urine
-Headaches
-Dizziness and fainting
-Unusual or persistent tiredness
-Coughing up blood
-Low blood pressure
-Vision changes
-Muscle pain
-Edema or swelling
-Confusion
-Chest tightness
-Blistering, peeling, or red skin rash
-Itching or swelling (especially face/tongue/throat)
-A decrease in urinating
-Bloody, black, or tarry stools
-Nose bleeding
-Difficulty breathing
-Slurred speech
-Weakness on one side of the body
-Changes in the amount of urine
-Bloody vomit
-Vomit resembling coffee grounds
-Severe headache
-Problems swallowing
XARELTO LAWSUITS
According to a June 2014 report by Reuters News, Bayer AG was looking at its first set of lawsuits pertaining to its drug Xarelto. The pharmaceutical giant initially did not released details of the suits or the likelihood of settlement discussions. Significantly, potentially over two thousand serious adverse events per year are being reported. This has led to a flurry of more lawsuits.
On December 12, 2014, Bayer and Janssen began facing nationwide litigation. That was the springboard for what has grown to over 7,200 personal injury claims, including wrongful death, negligence, among others. These are a part of MDL – 2592 Xarelto Products Liability Litigation.Other state courts have cases filed, with close to 700 in Philadelphia, as that state is home and principle office to a large amount of pharmaceutical makers.
The MDL, consolidated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, was based upon three factors:
- There must be at least one or more common questions of fact involved in all MDL cases filed
- The transfer of cases to the court must be convenient for all involved parties
- The transfer promotes judicial efficiency, economy, and fairness
During the last two years, formal discovery has provided millions of pages of evidence and depositions of corporate witnesses.
BELLWETHER TRIALS FOR MDL 2592 – XARELTO PRODUCTS LIABILITY LITIGATION
More than two years following the initial lawsuit was filed against the manufacturers, Bellwether trials have been scheduled for February 6, 2017 and March 13, 2017 in the Eastern District of Louisiana under the Honorable Judge Eldon E. Fallon.
Bellwether trials are trials that help each party present their claims under the premise that issues will be solved andsubsequent cases will benefit from the resolution of these issues. This could benefit all parties involved. Asmore information is released and confirmed, the more likelihood that a settlement may be reached for the pending claims.
WHY IS XARELTO STILL BEING PRESCRIBED?
The drug gained popularity among the entire class of blood thinners because it was the first to offer a one-size-fits-all approach to dosage. Specifically, there is no need to consider biographical information, such as height, weight, diet, and amount of physical activity. And that has led Xarelto to become the #1 most prescribed blood thinner in the U.S.
Notably, the FDA has not recalled the drug. The steps the agency has taken to warn patients include the following:
- August, 2013: Back box warning required in order to alert the public and medical community that premature discontinuation of the medication could cause blood clots, DVT, and spinal hematoma.
- January, 2014: FDA warns about risk of bleeding in the event a patient was injured while consuming the drug, and that blood transfusion was the proper medical treatment, since no antidote exists.
- March, 2014: FDA states that Xarelto could cause risk of spinal hemorrhage when patients undergo a spinal procedure, thus patients should wait until confirmation that the medication was completely gone from the body.
- December, 2014: Pursuant to a report concerning adverse reactions, Xarelto could cause
XARELTO SETTLEMENT FACTORS
When patients have endured pain and hardship from adverse events associated with Xarelto, a negotiated settlement typically is based upon the same factors a jury would consider, such as:
- The type of injury
- The length of time the injury persisted
- The short-term and long-term effects of the injury
- The amount and cost of future care, including medical related expenses, that is required
- For deceased plaintiffs, the financial compensation required for future dependents
- For disabled plaintiffs, the suffering of future economic loss due to work disability
- For wrongful death plaintiffs, the degree of loss of love, affection, and companionship due to loss of loved one
- Reimbursement of funeral expenses
There may be some expectation that Bayer and Johnson & Johnson will begin settlement discussions in 2016 or 2017 as the bellwether trials begin. Another drug in the blood-thinning class, Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate) byBoehringerIngelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., went down a similar path when its manufacturer settled 4,000 cases for $650 million. The state and federal trials will continue in the event a settlement is not reached.
