No Longer Accepting Eliquis Antidote Cases

Physicians typically prescribe blood thinners for patients who have had strokes or who suffer from heart disease. Those medications prevent the patient’s blood from coagulating and forming blood clots that might cause additional strokes or cardiac damage. If, however, a patient’s blood is unable to clot, that patient can experience uncontrolled and life-threatening bleeding problems.

 

Showard Law Firm is currently reviewing cases of people who:

 

  1. Were given the blood thinner Eliquis (which is the brand name of the generic drug, apixaban) in the hospital
  2. Subsequently experienced uncontrolled hemorrhaging or bleeding
  3. Were NOT provided with a proven Eliquis antidote, Andexxa, to stop the bleeding

 

If the above circumstances match your situation, please call Showard Law Firm today to speak with a knowledgeable and experienced drug injury lawyer about your case. You may be entitled to substantial monetary compensation if your hospital or healthcare provider failed to provide Andexxa to stop bleeding that occurred while taking Eliquis. All initial consultations are free of charge and come with no obligation. Speak with us today to learn what legal options are open to you and how much your case might be worth.

 

Andexxa: The New Eliquis Antidote

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Andexxa in mid-2018 for patients who have been using Eliquis and similar drugs. Andexxa is used when the anticoagulation effects of Eliquis need to be reversed quickly because the patient’s life is at risk due to uncontrolled bleeding.

 

Andexxa works by mimicking the action of the blood’s Factor Xa component, which aids in clotting. Normally, Eliquis works by blocking the action of Factor Xa. But when Andexxa is introduced into the blood, it tricks Eliquis into targeting and binding with itself, rather than binding with Factor Xa. By acting as a decoy for Eliquis, Andexxa allows the blood’s Factor Xa component to do its job and to coagulate and stop excess bleeding.

 

Andexxa Costs and Availability

 

When it first became available in May 2018, an Andexxa treatment cost between $20,000 and $50,000. Currently, a single dose will still cost several thousand dollars. Because of the high cost of the drug, many hospitals and medical centers do not make Andexxa available to their patients, even in life-or-death scenarios. This can be a devastating situation and has further come to light in regards to the death of a former Cal Poly professor in October 2019.

 

Andexxa’s manufacturer was only able to make limited amounts of the drug available after the FDA first approved it. In January 2019, the FDA approved large-scale commercial production of the drug, which has substantially improved its availability as an Eliquis reversal agent. Hospitals remain wary of its cost, however, and have shown some reluctance to use Andexxa on a universal basis, opting instead for alternative treatments that cost less.

 

Hospitals that withhold Andexxa treatments may be liable for injuries suffered by patients who were denied access to the drug.

 

A Hospital’s Potential Liability for Withholding Andexxa

 

If a hospital failed to use apixaban reversal agent Andexxa when you suffered a bout of uncontrolled bleeding, you may have a valid cause of action against that hospital for medical negligence. If the hospital is deemed to be liable, you might recover damages equal to:

 

  • Your excess medical costs associated with extended hospital stays or long-term treatment by physicians;
  • Your lost salary and wages that you were unable to earn while you recuperated from a substandard treatment;
  • Your costs associated with long-term disability that resulted from uncontrolled bleeding that was not stopped promptly;
  • Your pain and suffering and other noneconomic damages.

 

Families of patients who died as a result of uncontrolled bleeding will also have wrongful death and other causes of action against the negligent healthcare facility.

 

Denied an Eliquis Antidote? Call Showard Law Firm

 

Showard Law Firm represents patients that have suffered injuries when medical treatments were improperly administered or withheld from them. Please call our offices today if you have experienced serious injuries from an uncontrolled bleeding event that could have been prevented if a hospital had used Andexxa to reverse the anticoagulation effects of Eliquis or any similar Factor Xa inhibitor.

 

We will provide a complimentary analysis of your case and help you decide whether filing a lawsuit for damages is the right step for you and your family.

 

Additional Resources:

 

  1. aspf.org: New Factor Xa Inhibitor (Xarelto®)(Eliquis®) Reversal Agent. https://www.apsf.org/news-updates/new-factor-xa-inhibitor-xarelto-eliquis-reversal-agent/
  2. dicardiology.com: FDA Clears First Reversal Agent for Rivaroxaban, Apibaxan Anticoagulants. https://www.dicardiology.com/article/fda-clears-first-reversal-agent-rivaroxaban-apixaban-anticoagulants
  3. merckmanuals.com: How Blood Clots. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/blood-disorders/blood-clotting-process/how-blood-clots
  4. drugs.com: Eliquis: 6 Things You Should Know. https://www.drugs.com/tips/eliquis-patient-tips