Eliquis Lawsuits in 2023 – Current Updates

Posted on by Charles

What is Eliquis?

Eliquis (Apixaban) is a blood thinner produced by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer.

What are the side effects of Eliquis?

Eliquis is used to treat Atrial Fibrulation (A Fib). It has several side effects including increased bruising and bleeding.

Eliquis Lawsuits

Like Other blood thinners such as Pradaxa and Xarelto Eliquis is a target for lawsuits. Victims claim that they experienced uncontrollable internal bleeding and hemorraghing.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer, the manufacturers of the anticoagulant Eliquis, have faced several lawsuits due to severe side effects experienced by patients. The companies claimed that Eliquis was the best among the new class of Factor Xa inhibitors, yielding better results in stroke prevention, fewer major bleeding events, and reduced mortality rates compared to its predecessors like Coumadin, Pradaxa, and Xarelto. However, the clinical trials for Eliquis were fraught with errors and even accusations of a cover-up, which delayed the drug’s FDA approval by nine months.

Since its approval in 2012, some patients have reported severe bleeding and internal hemorrhaging while using Eliquis. Unlike warfarin, there is no antidote for bleeding caused by Eliquis, leading to deaths from bleeding and other complications. The patients and their families have consequently filed lawsuits against Bristol-Myers and Pfizer, alleging that the manufacturers concealed knowledge of Eliquis’ defects and misrepresented the drug’s safety and risks to the public.

Several individual cases have been highlighted in recent years. In 2015, Deborah Herschell filed a lawsuit following the death of her husband who was taking Eliquis for atrial fibrillation. She claimed that the manufacturers “negligently and fraudulently” represented Eliquis as safe and effective, while failing to adequately warn health care professionals of the risk of major bleeding events that were irreversible and life-threatening. Her husband died from unstoppable bleeding following a gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

In 2016, Rhonda Hancock filed a lawsuit alleging that Eliquis’ manufacturers failed to disclose the risks associated with the drug, which she said left her permanently injured. Her suit claimed that the companies disregarded patient safety by continuing to promote the drug despite knowing that patients could die.

In early 2017, Carmen Flores sued Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer after she suffered severe gastrointestinal bleeding and an ischemic stroke, damage to the brain resulting from an interruption of its blood supply, caused by Eliquis. She claimed that the manufacturers intentionally defrauded and deceived her, the public, and the medical community.

Charlie Utts, who was prescribed Eliquis after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, and his wife Ciara, filed a complaint alleging that the manufacturers of Eliquis failed to adequately warn patients and health care professionals that it was difficult or impossible to assess the degree and extent of anticoagulation in patients taking Eliquis and that there was no agent to reverse the anticoagulant effects of Eliquis.

Regarding lawsuits related to the manufacturing or marketing of Eliquis, Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer recently won a court case that upheld patent claims for Eliquis, blocking generic rivals from entering the market for at least six years. The decision came after one of three patents for Eliquis was set to expire, and two other patents for Eliquis will not expire until 2026 and 2031. This effectively holds off competition for one of the pharmaceutical giants’ biggest earners.

The FDA approved the first generics for Eliquis in December 2019. However, due to a settlement agreement over patent disputes with Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, the generic versions will not be able to enter the market until at least 2026.

Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer filed multiple lawsuits to protect the revenue generated from sales of Eliquis, one of the top anticoagulants in the world. Both companies were pleased with the court’s decision to uphold their patent claims, effectively keeping generic versions of Eliquis off the market until 2031. The collaboration agreement between the two companies for Eliquis began in 2007.

More information about Eliquis

For more information about Eliquis, please check out these resources