18 New Plavix Bleeding Lawsuits. The makers of the blood-thinner Plavix are facing 18 new lawsuits from people claiming they suffered gastrointestinal hemorrhaging while taking the drug. The group of victims is being represented by the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, which also represents other victims of Plavix side effects. The claims […]
18 New Plavix Bleeding Lawsuits. The makers of the blood-thinner Plavix are facing 18 new lawsuits from people claiming they suffered gastrointestinal hemorrhaging while taking the drug. The group of victims is being represented by the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, which also represents other victims of Plavix side effects.
The claims were filed in Supreme Court of New York against pharmaceutical firms Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis. In each, the companies are accused of hiding the side effects of Plavix and purporting it to be safe and effective “at the cost of patient safety,” according to a firm press release announcing the filings on May 30.
One victim represented in this group of lawsuits, an Iowan woman, claims she began taking Plavix in November 2009 and suffered gastrointestinal hemorrhaging less than a year later, in June 2010.
A Missouri resident claims she started taking Plavix in March 2008 and suffered two episodes of gastrointestinal hemorrhaging, in June and September of 2009.
In addition to these specific episodes and more, the Plaintiffs allege they were put at risk of serious injuries and death as a result of taking Plavix, dangers they were not aware of when prescribed the drug.
They believe they’ve been put at an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood disorders, and excessive bleeding caused by Plavix. The release states the complaints also allege Plaintiffs suffered or will incur “severe and permanent injuries, physical impairment and disfigurement, physical pain and suffering, mental pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and past, present and future medical expenses as a direct result of the defective drug.”
Plavix is prescribed to prevent heart attack, stroke, and blood clots. It was approved for sale in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration in 1997 and quickly skyrocketed to the top of the market, becoming a go-to treatment to prevent these life-threatening condition, especially among patients who could not tolerate common aspirin.
Sales of the drug reached a peak in 2005 when they reached $3.5 billion in the U.S. That’s when a study published in New England Journal of Medicine compared Plavix against regular aspirin and esopmeprazole at reducing the risk of blood clot, heart attack, and stroke.
It found that patients taking Plavix faced a much greater risk of suffering recurrent bleeding, 8.6 percent to just 0.7 percent, than those taking aspirin with esomeprazole.
The firm continues to represent victims of Plavix side effects nationwide. In addition to the side effects suffered by those 18 Plaintiffs included in these latest lawsuits filed by Parker Waichman, other victims have also suffered from cerebral hemorrhage, Thombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP), ulcers, internal bleeding, bone marrow damage, and death.
The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman LLP offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. For more information, fill out our online contact form or call 1-800-YOURLAWYER (1-800-968-7529).
