In pushing their product to the medical community, the makers and marketers of the well-known drug Xarelto promoted the drug’s alleged benefits over its main competitor, Coumadin. Xarelto is a blood thinning medication designed to prevent blood clots and strokes. While Coumadin has been used for many years for patients facing these issues, the drug is associated with certain inconveniences. For example, patients taking Coumadin must undergo regular blood monitoring and must follow certain dietary restrictions. Xarelto was said to have fewer drawbacks. Unfortunately, the safety of the medication is now being called into question through the filing of hundreds of lawsuits. One recent lawsuit accuses defendants Janssen Research & Development, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals of fraudulent misrepresentation when marketing the drug.
Five Allegations Related to the Xarelto Fraudulent Misrepresentation Lawsuit
In the recent complaint, an heir of a patient who died after taking Xarelto alleges the following:
- When marketing the drug, the defendants represented to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the health care community, and to patients that Xarelto had been proven to be safe in clinical tests.
- Despite making these representations, the defendants had actual knowledge of the risks of bleeding caused by taking Xarelto.
- In addition, the defendants knew that they had conducted insufficient safety trials.
- Further, the defendants engaged in aggressive advertising campaigns overstating how effective the drug is. At the same time, the marketing campaigns understated the known risks, including the fact that there is no antidote for the drug. If a patient suffers a bleeding event, there is no known reversal agent that doctors can administer in order to prevent the patient from dying.
- The defendants concealed their knowledge of these facts.
If you or a loved one took Xarelto and suffered injury, you may have a claim for compensation. We encourage you to check out our many case results to learn more about how we have helped many other clients protect their legal rights after taking a dangerous drug.