Goldman Ismail Secures Complete Defense Verdict in Philadelphia Xarelto Trial

On April 27, 2018, a jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas returned a defense verdict in the second state-court bellwether trial over Xarelto, a next-generation anticoagulant medication, finding that the drug’s warnings are adequate. The verdict represented a complete victory for Goldman Ismail’s client, Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, as well as co-defendant Bayer AG. 

The Plaintiff, Daniel Russell, alleged that he experienced a gastrointestinal bleed after taking Xarelto for stroke prevention alongside the blood thinners Plavix and aspirin. At trial, Plaintiff argued that the Xarelto label did not adequately instruct doctors on the risks of bleeding associated with Xarelto. As described in Law360, the Philadelphia jury “rejected claims that warnings labels for the … drug left out key information about the increased risk the drug posed when combined with antiplatelet medications.” The judgment represented the fourth defense verdict for Janssen and Bayer in Xarelto bellwether trials nationwide. 

The Janssen trial team was led by Tarek Ismail of Goldman Ismail along with partner Rami Fakhouri.  Brian Stekloff of Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz, and Sheila Boston of Arnold & Porter tried the case on behalf of Bayer. The case is Daniel Russell et al. v. Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. et al., case number 150500362, in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. 

Additional press coverage of the trial victory is available here and here.