A growing number of patients who’ve filed lawsuits against Bayer and Johnson & Johnson alleging their popular blood thinner Xarelto caused uncontrollable internal bleeding will soon know how and where their cases will be handled.
Last week, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, or JPML, issued their latest hearing order indicating the panel will hear arguments over Xarelto product liability claims at their next session on December 4th in Charleston, South Carolina.
Lawyers are seeking to unify a number of claims filed in federal courts in at least ten states, allowing victims a more convenient claim process and manufacturers ability to defend themselves in one court.
Xarelto is the strongest-selling of a crop of new blood thinners meant to replace Coumadin. Although it is on pace to reach close to $2 billion in sales by next year, it has been dogged by dangerous reports.
Last year, researchers found newer anticoagluants like Xarelto, Eliquis and Pradaxa may carry 48% higher risks of serious internal bleeding since they don’t come with antidotes for emergencies.
They’ve also been listed as some of the most dangerous drugs currently on the market. Just this month, J&J recalled over 13,000 bottles due to microbial contamination. In May, the maker of similar drug Pradaxa agreed to a $650 million settlement for bleeding victims.
The JPML was created by Congress in 1968 to select those cases that should be combined under one judge in specialty courts for expedited handling. Since then, they’ve affected over 500,000 cases to keep the legal process moving smoothly.
Most of these cases involve large-scale consumer injuries or economic damages affecting people across multiple states, such as plane crashes, hotel fires, drug and asbestos injuries and securities fraud.
Lawyers are asking that the Xarelto litigation be assigned to expert judge David Herndon, who in the past three years resolved over 10,000 patient claims for the birth control drugs Yasmin and Yaz, and the blood thinner Pradaxa.
For more information, or help selecting a lawyer that specializes in these complicated blood thinner injury cases, contact DrugNews today.
Sources:
Luthi, J. Notice of Hearing Session. JPML. (October 22, 2014). Retrieved from http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Hearing_Order-12-4-14.pdf
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