Product Liability Lawyer Blog
A new report indicates that sales of new blood-thinning medication Eliquis are gaining on those of Xarelto, the long-time leader in the industry.
For decades, if you needed a blood thinner because you suffered from a serious medical condition known as atrial fibrillation (Afib), you would take a a drug like warfarin (Coumadin). This was also true for patients who were at increased risk for other related medical conditions that could be deadly, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Afib involving an irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve defective and a DVT is when a clot forms in places like the legs. The clot can break free and travel through the circulatory system. If it enters the lungs, it can punch a hole in the lung wall, causing blood to fill into the cavity. This is known as pulmonary embolism and is often deadly. If one of these clots blocks the flow of blood to the brain, it can result in stroke due to the deprivation of oxygen to the brain.
While warfarin worked very well for many years, it is not the most convenient medicine to take. It is very important for doctors to closely monitor the rate of absorption of warfarin by the patient. If the dose is not correct, the patient can experience a serious internal bleeding disorder. However, when a patient goes to the emergency room with internal bleeding, the doctors can quickly administer a reversal agent (antidote), and the blood thinner will stop working, allowing the victim to return to clotting, so the internal bleeding will stop.
The patient must also watch his or her diet, because eating foods high in vitamin K like leafy green vegetables can actually affect the absorption rate of warfarin and can lead to an internal bleeding incident.
For this reason, drug companies were able to have a lot of success with their alternatives, which are all known as new oral anticoagulants (NOACs). These NOACs are Xarelto, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, Pradaxa, Eliquis, and Savaysa. As our Boston Eliquis injury attorneys can explain, the drug companies marketed these products as not needing the constant blood checks and monitoring of vitamin intake, because everyone would take the same dose, and it would not cause internal bleeding.
However, we now know, this is not the case, as many patients experienced serious internal bleeding disorders while on a NOAC. However, as discussed in a recent article from Fierce Pharma, there is no FDA approved antidote for Xarelto, as there now is for some of the other medications, though they are still being tested for safety and efficacy. If a person came into the emergency room with a Xarelto-related bleeding disorder, there might be nothing the doctors could do to save that person’s life. There was a reversal agent for Xarelto, but the FDA was concerned that enough safety testing was not done and rejected the application for market approval.
For this reason, sales of Eliquis, manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb, are beginning to approach the numbers of Xarelto sales. It is is believed by many in the industry that Eliquis will become the most popular NOAC on market in the near future.
If you are a victim Eliquis and live in Massachusetts, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment — (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
BMS’ Eliquis is ‘relatively close’ to snagging market lead from J&J’s Xarelto, CEO says, January 11, 2017, By Carly Helfand
More Blog Entries:
Risk for Internal Bleeding after Taking Pradaxa, August 22, 2014, Boston Xarelto Injury Lawyer Blog