Baycol Recall News
The Baycol recall of August 2001 affected the over 6 million people worldwide that were taking the cholesterol-lowering drug. Bayer, Baycol’s manufacturer was criticized for allowing patients to continue using the cholesterol drug for such an extended amount of time despite the increased risk of fatality due to the condition rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue causing renal failure and liver damage. The company has claimed the Baycol recall was issued because doctors were not using the drug as directed by Baycol labeling.
Although Baycol belonged to the most widely prescribed drug class called statins, which was linked to instances of rhabdomyolysis, Baycol was considered a significantly greater risk of death occurring because of rhabdomyolysis. Bayer has since been left defending itself since the 2001 Baycol recall but once again can be found making Baycol lawsuit news. At the time of the Baycol recall, Baycol was linked to over 50 Baycol deaths worldwide, however since then the number has risen to over 100 Baycol deaths, in addition to 1,600 injuries worldwide. For more information on the Baycol lawsuit news, please contact us to confer with a Baycol lawyer.
| Internal
Bayer Baycol Documents Revealed at First Baycol Lawsuit Trial In the first of the 7,800 Baycol lawsuits waiting to go to trial, the highly publicized and scrutinized Baycol trial taking place in Texas has exposed evidence of internal company documents showing top Bayer executives became increasingly more alarmed at the occurrence of the deadly Baycol side effect rhabdomyolysis that was found to occur at a rate much higher than with other statin drugs. If you have taken Baycol and are suffering or have suffered Baycol side effects including rhabdomyolysis, please contact us to confer with a Baycol lawyer. “We
need to do everything possible to maximize sales results
since Baycol must carry the company for the short and
long haul.” “The
steadily increasing numbers of spontaneous reports of
rhabdomyolysis associated with Baycol...has overwhelmed
the available safety resources.” “Some
are scared to uncover such data (bad data) because of
launch of 0.8 mg. If FDA asks for bad news, we have to
give, but if we don’t have it, then we can’t
give it to them.” “I
am concerned that there is widespread knowledge in the
field with both Bayer and SB representatives that there
have been some death related to Baycol.” “There
has been a substantial increase in calls from our sales
representatives and opinion leaders requesting that scientific
affairs liaisons talk to physicians who had cases of rhabdomyolysis.” “There
will be much more tremendous trouble in the future.” “So
much for keeping this quiet.” Allegedly
top Bayer executives told sales staff to “redouble
our efforts, we’re going to make this a billion-dollar
drug.” Stenger
wrote a June 2000 email with an attached document saying
that doctors reporting Baycol side effects were hearing
of similar cases with other patients and stated they “appear
to be more angry and concerned and feel that Bayer is
hiding information.” |
September 18, 2003
Breaking
News!!
Baycol class action lawsuit denied but Bayer still faces
large legal battles. A U.S. federal court on September
17, 2003 denied certification of a Baycol class action lawsuit
that had been filed against Bayer AG. In 2001, Baycol cholesterol
drug was pulled off the market because of deadly Baycol side
effects reported, including rhabdomyolysis, a disease causing
muscle damage, kidney failure, and other injuries.
The Baycol recall has been linked to over 100 deaths and 1,600 injuries. The recent Baycol class action lawsuit denial was filed in representation of over 1,000 cases. Judge Michael Davis denied the Baycol class action lawsuit because he ruled the cases were too diverse.
Bayer has said that the company has so far paid $477 million to settle out of court 1,342 Baycol cases in the U.S. There are still 11,000 Baycol lawsuits that Bayer must still face, in which the company refused to acknowledge legal liability.
The company has said its legal strategy will be to continue
analyzing specific Baycol lawsuits in order to agree on “fair
compensation” for those people that have suffered serious
Baycol side effects. For more information on Baycol contact
us to confer with a Baycol lawyer.
June
2, 2003
More Baycol cases settled. Bayer claims the company
no longer faces individual Baycol lawsuits following even more
out of court settlements and an individual Baycol lawsuit withdrawal.
The next Baycol lawsuit cases are scheduled to occur in July.
By the start of May 2003, Bayer had already paid $240 million
to settle 785 Baycol lawsuits.
April
10, 2003
Another Baycol lawsuit settled, according to Bayer.
The Baycol lawsuit was supposed to be heard in a Texas courtroom
late April however, settled for undisclosed reasons and an undisclosed
amount.
April
9, 2003
A Baycol class action lawsuit was announced in the U.S. District
Court for Southern District of New York. The Baycol lawsuit
has alleged that Baycol maker Bayer AG violated sections of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 when issuing false and misleading
statements to the marketing in order to boost sales. In addition,
the Baycol lawsuit alleges that Baycol side effects were minimized
despite the knowledge by top Bayer executives that Baycol patients
were suffering deadly Baycol side effects.
April
4, 2003
Baycol maker, Bayer AG announced that the number of out of court
settlements for its recalled drug was on the rise. Bayer has
already settled around 500 Baycol cases out of court at $150.1
million. The company said it would update the Baycol settlement
and Baycol lawsuit figures later in April 2003. Bayer is still
facing around 8,400 Baycol cases. There have been over 100 deaths
linked to the use of Baycol, many of the Baycol deaths attributed
to a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis.
March
17, 2003, Baycol settlements included Baycol deaths
Baycol manufacturer Bayer AG has stated that in the 500 Baycol
lawsuits the company has settled, 13 cases of Baycol deaths
were included.
March
17, 2003, Second Baycol lawsuit begins
The second Baycol lawsuit is now underway in Mississippi. Linked
to the muscle disease rhabdomyolysis, Baycol settlements have
so far cost Bayer about $140 million for 500 Baycol lawsuits.
There have been about 8,400 Baycol lawsuits filed worldwide.
March
14, 2003, Baycol verdict not reached after first day of deliberations
After the fist day of deliberations in the first Baycol lawsuit
of about 8,400 to go to trial, a decision has not been made.
Evidence during the trial has shown that Baycol manufacturer
had a growing sense of alarm within the company about the Baycol
side effects despite the company’s efforts to increase
sales with internal projections of sales reaching $1 billion
by 2005.
March
14, 2003, Baycol executives may not have enough money for Baycol
lawsuits
The growing number of Baycol lawsuits filed is now up around
8,400 worldwide and combined with Baycol manufacturer’s
financial results, reporting tumbling stock losses.
March
12, 2003, Bayer shares fall another 10%
Bayer shares fell 10% after the announcement that the company
was being sued in a New York district court for violations of
the Securities Exchange Act. The allegations are that Bayer
omitted and/or misrepresented factual information regarding
Baycol, the anti-cholesterol drug, in order to artificially
inflate the market price of the company’s shares.
March
11, 2003, A lot riding on Baycol lawsuit
In the civil trial for recalled cholesterol drug Baycol, so
far company emails and documents have shown top executives were
aware of serious Baycol side effects long before it was ever
recalled. The Baycol lawsuit has been even more damaging to
the company, resulting in the plunge of its stocks in addition
to allegations of jury tampering. Many people are watching the
Baycol lawsuit to determine how the first of over 7,800 Baycol
lawsuits plays out.
Bayer executives claim the company acted responsibly by pulling Baycol off the market as soon as finding out the cholesterol drug was causing deadly and serious side effects, including rhabdomyolysis. As the first Baycol trial underway has shown, internal emails from Bayer indicate the company waited two months before sending doctors a warning letter to not allow patients to start using Baycol at the higher dosage but the Baycol labeling was never updated.
-March
6, 2003
The trial of an 82-year old man suffering from rhabdomyolysis
due to use of Baycol is underway. When cross-examined, head
of Bayer’s worldwide regulatory affairs stated that reports
of Baycol causing adverse effects helped Bayer improve the drug.
The problem was that according to the plaintiff’s attorneys,
Bayer tried to maximize profits by failing to submit evidence
of adverse Baycol effects in a timely manner until receiving
FDA approval for the higher dosage of Baycol. The company has
acknowledged the plaintiff’s case of rhabdomyolysis was
the result of using Baycol. The result of the Baycol lawsuit
is widely focused on and may dictate the way the rest of the
thousands of Baycol lawsuits will play out.
-March
5, 2003
Documents that have been presented in court at Baycol trials
showing that Baycol executives became increasingly more alarmed
about the instances of Baycol side effect rhabdomyolysis that
was occurring at a much higher rate than competing statins.
Bayer has maintained the company acted responsibly with Baycol
and had to issue the Baycol recall because doctors were improperly
prescribing the cholesterol drug.
-March
3, 2003
A German lawyer is hoping to settle about 100 Baycol cases out
of court in Germany. Of the 2,000 German Baycol patients the
lawyer is representing, he believes that 5% of the instances
involve serious Baycol side effects damage.
-March
3, 2003
Bayer has taken out full page ads defending Baycol on February
28, 2003 entitled “Facts not Mood-stirring” in order
to reassure worried Bayer investors. Bayer stated it was impossible
to forecast the outcome of future Baycol lawsuits despite predictions
made by attorneys and analysts. The company has already paid
a total of $125 million to settle 450 Baycol lawsuits but faces
thousands more.
-March
2, 2003
Bayer is trying to calm the speculation talk of the impact Baycol
lawsuits will have on the company following the statements a
lawyer made saying Bayer faced damages of up to $50 billion.
Bayer released a statement claiming the Baycol lawsuit predictions
have been wildly overestimated and were press efforts to affect
Bayer stock and help legal battles. Analysts have estimated
Bayer could suffer damages of over $5 billion to almost $10
billion if Baycol negligence is proved.
-February
28, 2003
GlaxoSmithKline is worried as its shares have continued to slip
for the fifth day in a row. Glaxo and Bayer jointly marketed
Baycol and Glaxo has been named in some Baycol recall lawsuits
for the deaths and serious injuries, including rhabdomyolysis
that occurred while the cholesterol drug was on the market.
Most Baycol lawsuits have only named Bayer because it was predominantly
responsible for the marketing and selling of Baycol. Glaxo is
still not sure what type of liability the company holds in the
future Baycol lawsuits.
-February
28, 2003
The high profile Baycol lawsuit in Texas has drawn in dozens
of spectators. The Baycol trial is proving to continue being
controversial. Already, allegations of attempted jury tampering
have been made. In addition, the county district attorney is
looking into matters in response to the trial judges request
after Bayer had sent thousands of letters to city residents
urging them to keep an open mind about the company just a day
before jury selections had begun. The company’s response
to the letters was that they were a mistake, however the trial
judge found the letters to be “outlandish”.
-February
27, 2003
Lawyer for a plaintiff in Germany are seeking $500 million in
punitive damages for recalled cholesterol drug Baycol, marketed
as Libobay outside of the U.S. The Baycol lawsuit is in addition
to the already present Baycol case occurring in Texas with demands
for a $100 million payout.
-February
27, 2003
Investors are quickly dropping Bayer’s stock fearful that
the company will be forced to pay large quantities of money
to settle even more Baycol lawsuits. The investors have been
unable to determine what type of loss Bayer will suffer when
all the Baycol lawsuits have come to a close. The 7,800 Baycol
lawsuits in the U.S. that Bayer faces, in addition to any claims
that are filed from 700,000 Baycol patients that live outside
of the U.S., Bayer may end up making payment of more than $5
billion. Bayer officials are still denying its executives knew
of the deadly and serious Baycol side effects well before adequately
responding.
-February
25, 2003
Bayer announced the company has paid a total of $125 million
to settle 450 Baycol cases out of court. The company said that
it is in active discussions with plaintiff lawyer about settling
500 more Baycol cases. Bayer’s worry about its Baycol
liabilities do not seem to be lessening, especially following
the publication of company documents that indicate Bayer executives
knew long before the Baycol recall that the drug had deadly
risks.
-February
24, 2003
Bayer shares fell almost 10% after the New York Times reported
a senior company executive was aware of the deadly risks associated
to Baycol long before a Baycol recall was issued. Of the more
than 7,800 Baycol lawsuits filed against Bayer, around 450 of
them have already been settled out of court for amounts ranging
between $200,000 and $1.2 million. The maximum estimated cost
the Baycol recall problems for Bayer could result in is around
$1.6 billion. Court papers show that in 1997 the President of
Bayer’s North American pharmaceutical operations had received
a letter from executive vice president of pharmaceuticals at
SmithKline Beecham that he had “serious concerns”
about using Baycol with some other medicines the day after Baycol
received FDA approval.
-February
22, 2003
Internal Bayer emails and depositions indicate that Bayer was
promoting Baycol with the knowledge that it can cause rhabdomyolysis-induced
deaths. A February 2000 Bayer email included an executive noting
that the word was leaking about deaths related to Baycol and
issuing an official statement before the situation worsened.
When the vice president for scientific affairs at Bayer was
asked in a deposition if the company had delayed any knowledge
of the link between Baycol and life-threatening instances of
rhabdomyolysis, the employee responded that no knowledge was
known. Other internal Bayer documents showed the officials were
more concerned with Baycol becoming financially successful enough
to fuel company operations and compete with other pharmaceutical
companies.
-February
21, 2003
A Baycol lawsuit opened, which marked the first lawsuit of its
kind in the U.S. Alleging that Bayer officials were aware of
the deadly side effects, the Baycol lawsuit is the first of
many awaiting trial. The plaintiff suffered rhabdomyolysis after
taking samples of Baycol for less than a month.
-January
16, 2003
Bayer announced the number of Baycol lawsuits the company is
facing has increased to 7,400, up from 5,700 in November 2002.
- Cholesterol
drug pulled off market by Lu Ann Cahn
A cholesterol-lowering drug is being pulled off pharmacy shelves. Baycol is being linked to 40 deaths. Doctors all across the Delaware Valley are warning patients to stop taking it immediately. NBC10’s Lu Ann Cahn explains
- WASHINGTON,
Aug. 20 — A consumer group petitioned the Food and Drug
Administration to require stronger warnings on widely used
cholesterol medicines, known as statins, about a life-threatening
side effect that already led to one drug’s withdrawal
from the market two weeks ago.
- Too
Much of a Good Thing?
A cholesterol drug is pulled after 31 people die. What happened? A microscopic view of cholesterol.
- EVERY
STATIN has been linked to very rare reports of the muscle
side effect called rhabdomyolysis, but
Baycol — made by Bayer Pharmaceutical — has been linked to significantly more fatal cases than its competitors, said the FDA’s Dr. John Jenkins
- OKLAHOMA
CITY, Aug. 15 - A man whose father died shortly after starting
to take a popular cholesterol-lowering drug has filed a lawsuit
against the drug’s maker, Bayer Corp.