First Bellwether Trial in Xarelto MDL Underway in Louisiana Federal Court

NEW ORLEANS — The first bellwether trial in the Xarelto federal multidistrict litigation began on April 24, with the plaintiff alleging that the anti-clotting drug caused him to suffer gastrointestinal bleeding.

Plaintiff Joseph Boudreaux, 74, of Lockport, La., alleges he developed symptoms of gastrointestinal bleeding less than 30 after he began taking Xarelto in 2014, requiring hospitalization, numerous blood transfusions and other interventions.

Boudreaux maintains that Xarelto is unreasonably dangerous due to inadequate warnings provided by defendants Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Ortho LLC, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer Pharma AG, and Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc.