You can’t watch television or read the news without seeing an advertisement (usually from lawyers, I admit) warning about the dangers of new age blood thinners Xarelto (rivarobaxan) and Eliquis (apixaban). The main dangers associated with these drugs are major bleeding events requiring emergency hospital visits.
Today comes news that Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presented findings that one of their test drugs, andexanet alfa, reversed the dangerous blood thinning effects of Xarelto within minutes of being administered to 39 healthy patients between the ages of 50 and 68. More importantly, no serious side effects were noted.
Xarelto and Eliquis came on to the market with a lot of praise. The drugs were sold as safer and superior than Coumadin (warfarin) to treat blood clots and strokes. What the pharmaceutical companies failed to tell everyone was that there was no known drug to stop the bleeding fast. The inability to stop the bleeding can cause dire consquences.
The data was presented by Dr. Mark Crowther at the American Heart Association’s meeting in Orlando, Florida. Data showing the effectiveness of Portola Pharmaceutical’s new drug was also reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
According to sources, Portola plans on seeking approval from the FDA before year’s end.
This is certainly good news if the data proves correct. My law firm has spoken to hundreds of people affected by the dangers of Xarelto and Eliquis. In many instances, the victims were hospitalized long enough for the bleeding to be controlled. Others were not so fortunate.
Many patients have suffered a bleeding event requiring an overnight hospital stay while on Xarelto or Eliquis. Unfortunately, the manufacturers have not stepped up to the plate to take responsibility. Thankfully, other drug companies such as Portola have done so.
Cade Parian is an attorney who represents those injured by defective and dangerous drugs and medical devices. His office can be reached at (770) 727-5550 or by chatting live online at www.westgalawyer.com.
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