Dates Are Set For Bellwether Trials As Xarelto Lawsuit Plaintiffs Continue Their Legal Battle

TheProductLawyer.com reports on the status of Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) No. 2592 encompassing over 2,800 complaints against Xarelto and its manufacturers Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subdivision of the Johnson and Johnson Corporation, and Bayer AG. The cases in the MDL were consolidated by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML). The judge overseeing the MDL has released a number of updates related to the progress of the first 4 bellwether trials. They are set to begin in February 2017 after preparatory actions were taken in the early part of 2016. It is expected that as these bellwether trials proceed in the court system, additional cases will be added to the MDL.

It should be noted as well that there is a second group of consolidated cases. The Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, PA grouped together an additional 550 cases into a mass tort program.

The primary purpose of consolidating these cases was to expedite the litigation, as well as to prevent different decisions by a number of judges. It will also minimize the cost and time involved in discovery processes by the parties involved.

Xarelto was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011. When it was released it was very popular in that it allowed patients many more freedoms than prior anticoagulants did that preceded it. The blood thinner was approved to treat patients suffering a number of medical conditions such as pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, with atrial fibrillation being added later. It was also a treatment to prevent blood clots for patients who underwent knee and hip replacement surgeries.

A number of studies have linked Xarelto to an increased risk of sudden and uncontrollable bleeding instances including eye and stomach bleeding.

To add insult to injury, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued two black box warnings for the drug which are the harshest warnings that can be given to a product before it is potentially removed from the market completely.

The attorneys of Banville Law, the firm behind TheProductLawyers.com, are offering complimentary consultations to anyone who suffered injury or hospitalization after a bleed while on Xarelto. For more information about this release or the Xarelto litigation call 888-478-9711.