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There has been a mounting number of suits being filed against Bayer, the makers of the blood thinner Xarelto, with allegations contending the drug causes severe internal bleeding that leads to hospitalizations, serious injury and even death.

But, interestingly, that hasn’t stopped Xarelto sales from continuing to surge. In fact, Xarelto sales spiked nearly one-third more despite competition from other next-gen anticoagulants.

With the increasing amount of lawsuits being filed against Bayer, is expected to slow the growth of the industry until newer, safer medications come out.

In general, prescription drug sales increased by 5.5% to 4.1 billion.

Xarelto Background

Xarelto was initially approved by the FDA in 2011 to prevent strokes in patients who underwent knee and hip replacements and more. But, since its initial approval, there have been numerous reports of bleeding events in patients taking Xarelto, including but not limited to brain hemorrhages and gastrointestinal bleeding.

The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) in 2014, consolidated all federally-filed suits against J&J, Bayer and other related entities. At this time, more than 300 suits have been filed in the MDL. While some 202 cases have been filed in jurisdictions outside MDL.

Xa Inhibitors, a new class of blood thinners, that also includes Pradaxa and Eliquis, are among the most recent releases of this drug type onto the market.

What are Anticoagulants?

The purpose of an anticoagulant is to eliminate or reduce the risk of blood clots. Clots form when the blood platelets and proteins in the blood bind and stick together.

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