This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.
WARNING: (A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF XARELTO INCREASES THE RISK OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS, (B) SPINAL/EPIDURAL HEMATOMA A. Premature discontinuation of XARELTO increases the risk of thrombotic events Premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including XARELTO, increases the risk of thrombotic events. If anticoagulation with XARELTO is discontinued for a reason other than pathological bleeding or completion of a course of therapy, consider coverage with another anticoagulant [see Dosage and Administration (2.3 , 2.4) , Warnings and Precautions (5.1) , and Clinical Studies (14.1) ] . B. Spinal/epidural hematoma Epidural or spinal hematomas have occurred in patients treated with XARELTO who are receiving neuraxial anesthesia or undergoing spinal puncture. These hematomas may result in long-term or permanent paralysis. Consider these risks when scheduling patients for spinal procedures. Factors that can increase the risk of developing epidural or spinal hematomas in these patients include: use of indwelling epidural catheters concomitant use of other drugs that affect hemostasis, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), platelet inhibitors, other anticoagulant...
Listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines: a global expert panel judged it among the medicines a health system should always have, on evidence of value, not marketing.
XARELTO is a factor Xa inhibitor indicated: to reduce risk of stroke and systemic embolism in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation ( 1.1 ) for treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) ( 1.2 ) for treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE) ( 1.3 ) for reduction in the risk of recurrence of DVT or PE ( 1.4 ) for the prophylaxis of DVT, which may lead to PE in patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery ( 1.5 ) for prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in acutely ill medical patients ( 1.6 ) to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) ( 1.7 ) to reduce the risk of major thrombotic vascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD), including patients after recent lower extremity revascularization due to symptomatic PAD ( 1.8 ) for treatment of VTE and reduction in the risk of recurrent VTE in pediatric patients from birth to less than 18 years ( 1.9 ) for thromboprophylaxis in pediatric patients 2 years and older with congenital heart disease after the Fontan procedure ( 1.10 ) 1.1 Reduction of Risk of Stroke and Systemic Embolism in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation XARELTO is indicated to reduce the risk of stroke an...
XARELTO is contraindicated in patients with: active pathological bleeding [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] severe hypersensitivity reaction to XARELTO (e.g., anaphylactic reactions) [see Adverse Reactions (6.2) ] Active pathological bleeding ( 4 ) Severe hypersensitivity reaction to XARELTO ( 4 )
Risk of bleeding: XARELTO can cause serious and fatal bleeding ( 5.2 ) Pregnancy-related hemorrhage: Use XARELTO with caution in pregnant women due to the potential for obstetric hemorrhage and/or emergent delivery ( 5.7 , 8.1 ) Prosthetic heart valves: XARELTO use not recommended ( 5.8 ) Increased Risk of Thrombosis in Patients with Triple Positive Antiphospholipid Syndrome: XARELTO use not recommended ( 5.10 ) 5.1 Increased Risk of Thrombotic Events after Premature Discontinuation Premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including XARELTO, in the absence of adequate alternative anticoagulation increases the risk of thrombotic events. An increased rate of stroke was observed during the transition from XARELTO to warfarin in clinical trials in atrial fibrillation patients. If XARELTO is discontinued for a reason other than pathological bleeding or completion of a course of therapy, consider coverage with another anticoagulant [see Dosage and Administration (2.3 , 2.4) and Clinical Studies (14.1) ] . 5.2 Risk of Bleeding XARELTO increases the risk of bleeding, including in any organ, and can cause serious or fatal bleeding. In deciding whether to prescribe XARELTO to pat...
The following clinically significant adverse reactions are also discussed in other sections of the labeling: Increased Risk of Stroke After Discontinuation in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Bleeding Risk [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2 , 5.4 , 5.5 , 5.6 , 5.7) ] Spinal/Epidural Hematoma [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] The most common adverse reaction (>5%) in adult patients was bleeding ( 6.1 ) The most common adverse reactions (>10%) in pediatric patients were bleeding, cough, vomiting, and gastroenteritis ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-800-526-7736 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice. During clinical development for the approved indications, 34,947 adult patients were exposed to XARELTO. Hemorrhage The most common adverse reacti...
Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) 03/2026
Source: FDA SPL label for Xarelto (Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), effective 20260910. Full label on DailyMed.
These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21,537 | 14,811 | 10,087 | 10,475 | 9,308 | 8,294 | 7,028 | 3,495 |
2,771 reports blaming this drug for every million Medicare prescriptions filled, which is 1.0× the typical drug on this site. (18,458 reports in 2024–2026, against 6,660,246 Medicare fills in one year. This is the one number here that accounts for how many people take the drug.)
Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.
Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.
In 2024, drug companies reported $5,207,810 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 77,619 transactions (Xarelto $5,207,810).
No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.
Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.
Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.
Same ATC pharmacological class, graded ones first, best grade at the top. Being in the same class does not make them interchangeable for your condition; it makes them worth asking about.