Numerous plaintiffs seek $1.75M from Xarelto manufactures

Numerous Xarelto users from several states are suing the makers of the drug that they say is fraudulently marketed and lacking the proper warnings.

According to a lawsuit filed May 1 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, Jacqueline Twymon, Richard Baske, Marion Howlan, Deanna Gaines, Gordon Bennett, Larry Walker, Garry Hogue, Richard Doss, Ronald England, James Rider, Art Wolf, Edna Fiese, Angela Hardy, Dorothy Rucker, Chris Clemons, Jacqueline Freeman, Arkisha Hall, Charles Morton, Richard Robertson, Elmer Redding, Joe Browning, Roger Falk, Susan Fontenot, Bradley Profitt, Robert Louis Bryant and Lottie Hubbard filed a complaint against Janssen Research and Development LLC (Johnson and Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development LLC) Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bayer Pharma AG, Bayer Corp., Bayer Healthcare LLC, Bayer Healthcare AG and Bayer AG.

Each plaintiff, from a range of states, is suing the defendants, which bring to market a medication known as Xarelto, for selling a product the lawsuit describes as "defectively designed, inadequately tested, dangerous to human health and lacked proper warnings as to the dangers associated with its use."

The drug, launched in 2011, is sold as a "safe and effective treatment to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation to treat DVT and PE, to reduce the risk of recurrence of DVT and/or PE, and for prophylaxis of DVT for patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery," the lawsuit states.

After spending about $11 million in 2013 alone to advertise and otherwise promote Xarelto, the defendants received world sales that went from $582 million in its first full year of sales to break the $1 billion mark the next year. The following year, sales totaled $2 billion.

The plaintiffs, alleging counts of strict product liability, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, common law fraud, negligent misrepresentation, express warranty, implied warranty, seeks at least $1.75 million in damages, plus costs. The plaintiffs are represented by the Driscoll Law Firm in St. Louis.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 15-L-260