Bayer and J&J settle US lawsuits over blood thinner
Bayer and Johnson & Johnson have agreed to settle more than 25,000 US lawsuits alleging that their blockbuster blood thinner Xarelto caused unstoppable and in some cases fatal bleeding, court documents showed.
The total amount of $775m (€685m) due in the settlement will be shared equally by the two companies, which jointly developed the drug. Bayer and J&J do not admit liability under the agreement.
The settlement will resolve all pending US lawsuits over Xarelto, which plaintiffs claimed caused uncontrollable and irreversible bleeding, leading to severe injuries and even death among thousands of patients.
Plaintiffs accused the drugmakers of having failed to warn about the bleeding risks, claiming their injuries could have been prevented had adequate information been provided.
Bayer in a statement on Monday said it continues to believe the claims are without merit.
“However, this favourable settlement allows the company to avoid the distraction and significant cost of continued litigation,” the company said. Lawsuits over Xarelto began piling up in 2014 and the companies had so far won all six trials over Xarelto’s alleged bleeding risk.
J&J said it continued to believe in the safety of Xarelto, but that the settlement was the right thing to do for patients and doctors. Xarelto is Bayer’s best-selling drug, contributing €3.6bn in revenue to the German group last year. J&J reported 2018 Xarelto sales of $2.47bn.
