Many pharmaceutical companies are criticized for miscommunication about their products and their dangerous effects. These big pharma companies use excruciating circumstances to raise their profits: Their superficial research about products has led to many deaths worldwide. Companies that were established to produce effective medicine for people slowly turned into companies that released dangerous medication into the market to gain profit. By prioritizing growth over public interest, big pharma has caused people to suffer as they consume medication, which can have dangerous side effects. It is critical to consider that many doctors do not know about the perilous long-term side effects that products of big pharma can bring: Pharmaceutical companies tricked medical professionals for decades, which caused problems like the opioid epidemic. For many years, pharmaceutical companies facing lawsuits for their products showed the true face of these organizations.
Research
In 2017, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson were in a lawsuit that required them to pay about 30 million dollars to a victim of their product, Xarelto. Xarelto is a drug that prevents blood clots, and depending on the condition it is either prescribed as a long-term or short-term. Although there is pediatric use for Xarelto, in adults it is taken orally to prevent blood clots and strokes related to atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat. Multiple clinical trials showed bleeding to be the most common side effect of Xarelto, which is not surprising given the product’s use as a blood thinner. Unfortunately, people did not know that it could cause bleeding anywhere in the body, including internal bleeding, which can have perilous effects on organs such as the eyes, lungs, and brain. Xarelto can lead to either mild or severe internal bleeding, and in the case of Lynn Hartman, this bleeding was severe.
Lynn Hartman had atrial fibrillation and had been on Xarelto to prevent strokes and heart attacks. Unfortunately, Bayer and Johnson & Johnson did not convey Xarelto's dangerous, blood-thinning, and internal bleeding side effects to the public. This miscommunication caused Hartman to be hospitalized for gastrointestinal bleeding in June 2014. In 2015, she decided to file a lawsuit with her husband against both companies for not providing adequate information about Xarelto.
Since Bayer and Johnson & Johnson won three federal cases previously over Xarelto, it came as a surprise when the judges of this trial ordered the companies to pay 28.7 million dollars in compensation to the couple who filed the lawsuit. Xarelto is Bayer’s biggest-selling product which made 3.41 billion dollars in revenue in 2016, while Johnson & Johnson (J&J) made 2.2 billion dollars in profit from the product. Unfortunately, this was not the only case against Xarelto: With 1,400 cases pending in Philadelphia court and 1,8500 cases unresolved in federal court, Bayer and J&J have agreed to pay 775 million dollars in compensation for the 25,000 cases against Xarelto.
Despite its dark past, Xarelto is still an effective drug that is efficient in preventing blood clots and is still approved by the FDA. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xarelto in 2011. Since then, they have added the dangerous side effects of the medicine on their official website. Additionally, the FDA now recommends that one should not take Xarelto if they have abnormal bleeding. Doctors are authorized to give Andexxa, a drug that reverses the effects of Xarelto and stops severe bleeding.
With new measures taken to relay information about the severe side effects of Xarelto, the public is now more aware of what the drug can do to their bodies. Information like this is crucial for patients to understand so they can make informed decisions about their health. Doctors are now aware of the long-term and short-term effects of the product and can make better decisions regarding their patients' health. The Bayer and J&J lawsuit leaked information that helped many patients who use Xarelto. Unfortunately, other big pharma companies continue to hide information regarding the menacing side effects of the drugs they produce. People need to come together as a community to work against these companies so that the public knows the side effects of the medicine they use regularly.
How to Help
There are many ways you can participate in fighting against pharmaceutical companies. Many protests are happening all over the United States, fighting against big pharma. There are also petitions against pharmaceutical companies, such as petitions for drug prices and the opioid epidemic. Before taking medicine, researching the drug and learning the side effects can help determine if the medicine is right for you. Fighting against big pharma can be challenging, but to protect the health of the future, we must take action now.
References
Bellon, T. (2017, December 5). Jury orders Bayer, J&J to pay $28 million in Xarelto lawsuit. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bayer-xarelto/jury-orders-bayer-jj-to-pay-28-million-in-xarelto-lawsuit-idUSKBN1DZ2NH
Brewer, A. (2021, March 19). Xarelto side effects: What they are and how to manage them. Www.medicalnewstoday.com; Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/drugs-xarelto-side-effects#precautions
Research, C. for D. E. and. (2021, December 20). FDA approves drug to treat, help prevent types of blood clots in certain pediatric populations. U.S. Food and Drug Administration; U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-drug-treat-help-prevent-types-blood-clots-certain-pediatric-populations
Schneider Hammers. (2020, May 20). JOHNSON & JOHNSON, BAYER ORDERED TO PAY MILLIONS IN XARELTO LAWSUIT. Schneider Hammers: Georgia’s Accident and Personal Injury Attorneys; Schneider Hammers. https://schneiderhammers.com/blog/johnson-johnson-bayer-ordered-to-pay-millions-in-xarelto-lawsuit/
Silverman, E. (2019, March 25). Johnson & Johnson and Bayer agree to pay $775 million to settle thousands of Xarelto lawsuits. STAT; STAT. https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2019/03/25/xarelto-bayer-johnson-and-johnson-lawsuits/