Eliquis Blood-Thinner Lawsuits

The Driscoll Firm, LLC, can help if you or a loved one has suffered internal bleeding after taking Eliquis (apixaban), a prescription blood-thinner manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer.

Uncontrollable internal bleeding, or hemorrhage, caused by Eliquis can be fatal.

Many Eliquis users and survivors of Eliquis users have filed product liability lawsuits against Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. In February 2017, the Judicial Panel on Multi-District Litigation (MDL) announced that all federal Eliquis lawsuits would be consolidated to move forward as one.

Additional plaintiffs may join the existing MDL action. We anticipate many more injured users of Eliquis or their family members will come forward. Consolidating multiple lawsuits as MDL claims saves costs, which is beneficial when claimants prevail.

If you or a member of your family has been injured by a bleeding-related side effect of taking Eliquis (apixaban), contact The Driscoll Firm for a free consultation about your legal options today.

Eliquis (apixaban) Uses and Uncontrolled Bleeding Side Effects

Eliquis is a blood-thinning medication designed to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with pre-existing diagnoses of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AFib) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). It is also prescribed for patients who have had hip or knee replacement procedures. 

Stroke is caused by a blood clot forming or traveling to the brain. Anticoagulants, like Eliquis (and other controversial blood-thinners and Pradaxa) reduce the incidence of blood clots.

The problem with Eliquis (and and Pradaxa) is that there is no antidote, or reversal agent, for its anticoagulant effects.

If a patient begins to bleed internally after taking Eliquis, little can be done. Conversely, the effects of warfarin (sold as Coumadin), the traditional blood-thinner that Eliquis advertising repeatedly calls inferior, can be reversed with Vitamin K.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuits now combined under the MDL said they suffered some form of severe internal bleeding and related injuries as a result of taking Eliquis (apixaban).

Various dangerous drug lawsuits against Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer over Eliquis allege such specific internal bleeding injuries as:

• Fatal gastrointestinal bleeding
• Brain bleed (intracerebral hemorrhaging)
• Internal eye bleeding leading to partial blindness
• Severe internal bleeding following vascular surgery

 

How The Driscoll Firm Can Help

If you have been injured or lost a loved one due to excessive bleeding caused by Eliquis (apixaban), you may be able to obtain compensation for your medical expenses, as well as your pain, suffering and other losses. The Driscoll Firm can help you secure medical records and additional evidence to establish your claim, and either join your case to the Eliquis MDL or initiate an independent product liability lawsuit.

Current Eliquis lawsuits take issue with design, testing, manufacture, regulatory approval, labeling, and marketing of the medication by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer.

Plaintiffs say Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer did not sufficiently test apixaban, and that warnings and instructions to users about the alleged risks of apixaban, including the lack of a reversal agent to counteract bleeding, were inadequate.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Eliquis (apixaban) largely on the basis of the “ARISTOTLE” study published in September 2011 in the New England Journal of Medicine, a study funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. However, in addition to the undisclosed death of an apixaban recipient during the study, subsequent reviews found the ARISTOTLE committee’s work to be flawed in several ways.  In fact, an independent review of the study’s results found that apixaban performed no better than the much safer drug warfarin.

It is typical when product liability lawsuits like those concerning Eliquis become MDL or class action lawsuits for many additional plaintiffs to join the claims. Most MDLs and class actions are eventually settled as the volume of people claiming serious injury mounts, and provisions are made for additional plaintiffs to share in the settlement.

The Driscoll Firm can advise you about the options available to you for a claim against Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer. There are pros and cons to joining litigation or pursuing an independent claim, which depend on the circumstances of your experiences with Eliquis, and which The Driscoll Firm can fully explain to you.

In any case, the decision of whether to accept a settlement is always yours to make.  

Contact Us About an Eliquis Blood-Thinner Lawsuit Today

The Driscoll Firm has helped thousands of individuals and families from across the country recover compensation in dangerous pharmaceutical and medical product lawsuits. In numerous cases, our attorneys have served as class counsel, state liaison counsel and as members of committees making key decisions about how nationally significant lawsuits should proceed.

Contact The Driscoll Firm today for experienced legal advice in a free, no-obligation initial consultation about your Eliquis claim.