What are Blood Thinners?
Xaraleto, Eliquis and Pradaxa are blood thinning drugs that were approved recently by the FDA. They are used to treat and prevent blood clots as well as lower the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation or a-fib. Prior to these drugs being brought to market, patients often used Coumadin (warfarin) as a blood thinning agent. Xarelto, Elquis and Pradaxa are marketed as a more convenient blood thinner than Coumadin because the patient is not tied to regular blood monitoring.
Adverse Side Effects
The manufactures of Xarelto, Eliquis and Pradaxa failed to advise patients of another difference between their blood thinners and Coumadin. When patients are on a blood thinner they are at an increased risk of uncontrollable bleeding, which in some instances can be serious and life threatening. Patients on Coumadin that experience an uncontrollable bleed can take protamine, a reversal agent. Once protamine is ingested, it works very quickly to reverse the effects of Coumadin allowing the blood to clot and stop an otherwise uncontrolled bleed.
Xarelto, Eliquis and Pradaxa have no reversal agents. As a result, if a patient has an uncontrollable bleed, there is nothing that can be done to stop the bleed in a timely manner. Patients instead must wait for the drug to exit their system before the blood will begin to clot. This takes hours to days depending on the dosage and timing of the last dose. As a result, patients have suffered severe bleeding events including internal bleeding or hemorrhage that has led to significant permanent impairments and death. Thousands of claims have been filed against these manufacturers related to significant injuries and death as a result of ingesting Xarelto, Eliquis and Pradaxa.
Legal Options
If you or a loved one have been injured as a resulting of ingesting any of these blood thinners, contact our office for a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation.
