Product Liability Lawyer Blog
For many years, if someone needed a blood thinner, he or she would take Warfarin (Coumadin). This product is relatively safe and there are not many side effects, so long as a person carefully monitors his or her diet and has regular blood tests so their doctor can check the blood chemistry to see how the drug is being absorbed.
The reason it is important to monitor the absorption level of Warfarin is because if the level is off, it can result in a serious internal bleeding disorders. While this is a serious concern, as this is no minor side effect, it is easy to avoid so long as you are compliant with your medication. In the event a patient has an internal bleeding disorder and goes to the emergency room, the ER doctors will be able to administer a reversal agent (antidote) that will stop the anti-clotting effect, which, in turn, will allow the body to clot again so the internal bleeding will stop. It should be noted that reason it is important for a patient to monitor his or her diet is because certain foods high in vitamin K like dark greens will affect the absorption rate of Warfarin, and that can lead to serious problems.
While this medicine had been around for many years and was working quite well, the drug companies came up with a new class of anti-clotting drugs known as New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs). These NOACs include Xarelto, Pradaxa, Eliquis, and Savaysa, which is a later addition to the market. When these drugs came on the market, their respective drug makers said that they were essentially a one size fits all dose, and there was no need for routine monitoring of a patient’s blood, and there was no need to watch vitamin K intake since this drug was not effected by potassium.
However, as our Boston Xarelto injury lawyer can explain, this is not the case. Many people have become sick and developed serious internal bleeding disorders from taking Xarelto and other NOACs, and some have died. While you might think this would be enough to get Xarelto and its classmates taken off the market, that has not been the case, despite some newer warnings from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It should also be noted that unlike Warfarin, there is no FDA approved reversal agent for a Xarelto bleeding disorder, so there is often nothing a doctor can do to stop the bleeding. There is a reversal agent for Pradaxa (Praxbind), and there was one for Xarelto in testing, but the FDA rejected the drug’s application.
There is no question that these drugs are big business, and the makers of these drugs do not seem willing to take their big money makers off the market voluntarily. In fact, the companies are using new advertising campaigns to increase sales even more.
According to a recent news article from MedPage Today, Xarelto is the current market leader in terms of NOACs, but Eliquis is closing in and is expected to pass Xarelto in sales in the near future.
Call the Boston Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
CardioBrief: Eliquis Nipping At Heels of Top-Selling NOAC Xarelto, October 21, 2016, By Larry Husten, MedPage Today
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