Novel Xarelto Suit Transferred to Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Mass Tort Program

Written by Atlee Hall

Until last week, all of the more than 450 Xarelto cases in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas mass tort program involved claims that the drug leads to excessive bleeding. In October, drug manufacturer, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, petitioned the court to consolidate a novel Xarelto claim into the existing mass tort program. This unique Xarelto case involves claims that the once-daily dosing fails to protect against stroke for 24 hours.

On December 2, the court granted Janssen’s petition to transfer the case to the mass tort program. In its Petition, Janssen contended that these novel claims were, in fact, already asserted in the existing Xarelto mass tort program. According to Janssen’s Petition, this case involves the same defendants and contains the same allegations of liability as the Xarelto mass tort cases. Specifically, both the Master Complaint and the Complaint at issue in this case involve claims of severe personal injury caused by the drug, as well as claims related to the marketing of the once daily dosage requirement.

Based on the court’s decision, Plaintiffs filing Xarelto cases in Philadelphia should expect their cases to be transferred to the mass tort program, regardless of whether their cases are based on excessive bleeding or ischemic stroke claims.

If you or a loved one has suffered similar injuries while taking Xarelto, please contact Atlee Hall, LLP for a free consultation. We have offices in Lancaster, Pennsylvania but represent clients across the state.