- Xarelto is used to treat atrial fibrillation by thinning your blood without monitoring
- Xarelto has been linked to complications including intestinal bleeding, rectal bleeding, blood clots, brain hemorrhaging, pulmonary embolism, and deep vein thrombosis
- It was brought to market in 2011 as an alternative to warfarin
- Unlike warfarin, there is no known antidote to stop bleeding caused by this medication
- Xarelto is now being likened to its competitor Pradaxa, which is occasionally referred to as “the most complained-about drug” in the U.S.
Information on Xarelto
Released in 2011 by Johnson & Johnson in partnership with Bayer, Xarelto (rivaroxaban) thins the blood to prevent blood clots, lowering the risk of stroke for patients who suffer from atrial fibrillation. It is also approved to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and is sometimes prescribed following hip or knee replacement. While the anticoagulant action of Xarelto can treat these conditions, it can also lead to potentially fatal uncontrollable bleeding.
Unlike warfarin, which has been in use for six decades as a blood thinner, there is no known antidote to Xarelto’s anti-clotting mechanism that can be administered in case of an emergency. This leaves doctors with few options when a patient is suffering serious internal bleeding in the brain, intestines, kidneys or other organs. The Food and Drug Administration received 680 reports of adverse events in Xarelto users in 2013, according to Digital Journal. Meanwhile, in Bayer’s home country of Germany, the newspaper Der Spiegel reported that, between January 2012 and September 2013, Xarelto was linked in Germany to 130 deaths along with 1,700 serious complications.
The dangers presented by Xarelto are identical to those posed by another new anticoagulant, Pradaxa, which is offered by Bayer’s competitor Boehringer Ingelheim. Pradaxa, which also has no antidote to block its action in an emergency, is the subject of thousands of lawsuits from people who claim it caused uncontrollable and sometimes fatal bleeding incidents. According to news reports, Xarelto may be responsible for 1,400 deaths.
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