In recent years, we’ve seen plenty of class action lawsuits against drug manufacturers for failing to disclose dangerous and fatal side effects. The FDA approved Xeljanz as an arthritis drug back in 2012 and printed the side effects on the label. However, the most serious and fatal side effect was not disclosed.

Although Pfizer, the drug’s manufacturer, failed to provide complete transparency, the results of the Xeljanz ongoing clinical trial revealed the potentially fatal side effects of this not-so-wonder drug.

Now that this information is being widely publicized, more patients are connecting their health problems with Xeljanz. As a result, the number of individual and class action lawsuits are rising.

Xeljanz class action lawsuits are growing rapidly

Each day, more people are joining class action lawsuits against Pfizer for failing to warn about the dangers of blood clots. These lawsuits seek to hold the drug manufacturer accountable for negligence that has harmed and killed arthritis patients.

If you’ve been harmed by taking Xeljanz, joining a class action lawsuit is an easy way to recover financial compensation for your injuries so you can pay your medical bills, household bills, and heal with peace of mind.

The Xeljanz ongoing safety trial revealed a dark, deadly secret

Although drug manufacturers become aware of side effects fairly early on and print those side effects on the label, Xeljanz was hiding a deadly secret from 2012-2019 that patients weren’t aware of.

The Xeljanz safety trial was performed on patients who were at least 50 years of age and had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. One group was given 10mg of Xeljanz twice daily while another group was given 5mg daily. The group that took 10mg twice daily were more likely to experience serious and fatal side effects including blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis), serious infections, and pulmonary embolism (a blood clot that travels to the lungs that is often fatal).

On February 25, 2019, the FDA released an official statement to warn the public about the risks discovered in the trial. However, despite a high risk of death, the FDA did not command a mandatory recall of Xeljanz. That’s because the FDA never forces drug manufacturers to recall dangerous drugs. Instead, the FDA lowered the approved dosage to 5mg twice daily and trial participants were all put on that lower dose.

Drug recalls are voluntary – the FDA only recommends recalls

Perhaps the biggest danger to the public is that all drug recalls are voluntary. The public wasn’t aware of this fact until Bloomberg published an article about drug manufacturers and pharmacies that voluntarily recalled the popular heartburn medication Zantac.

The FDA doesn’t force any drug manufacturer to recall a drug no matter how dangerous the side effects.

Have you been harmed by taking Xeljanz? You might have a case

If you’ve been taking Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR, or generic tofacitinib, and you’ve experienced health problems you believe are related, contact an attorney right away to discuss your case.

To participate in a class action lawsuit, you’ll need to be able to prove you were being treated for arthritis with a form of tofacitinib and that you suffered a pulmonary embolism, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, or another type of blood clot.

You might need to prove you were prescribed the higher dose of 10mg twice daily – the same dose that was discovered to raise the risk for blood clots in the ongoing trial. However, the litigation process is still in the early stages and it’s hard to know for sure.