During closing arguments in the latest trial over the safety of Xarelto, Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz attorney Brian Stekloff, who argued for the defendant drugmakers, did not dispute that the blood thinner can cause severe and sometimes fatal bleeding, especially when combined with other anticoagulant medications.

But even acknowledging those risks, he stressed the treatment is necessary for patients with very complicated medical problems that are difficult to manage in closing arguments to a Philadelphia jury Tuesday.