BAYCOL INFORMATION

About Bayer

Bayer is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies represented by some 350 companies employing 115,400 people on all continents (as of December 31, 2003). The cornerstones of its business activities are in Europe, North America and the Far East Asia.

Baycol is a cholesterol-lowering drug belonging to a class of drugs known as "statins". It is prescribed to reduce your cholesterol and to reduce your risk of heart disease.

BAYCOL SIDE EFFECTS

Baycol has been shown to cause rhabdomyolysis, myositis, kidney failure, and severe muscle problems. Baycol side effects include a higher risk of Rhabdomyolysis. Rhabdomyolysis is a very rare condition where serious muscle damage results in release of muscle cell contents into the bloodstream. On very rare instances, rhabdomyolysis may result in kidney damage and other organ damage which may be fatal. Patients who develop rhabdomyolysis often have muscle aches involving their calves, back, or their entire body. The pain may be accompanied by weakness, fever, nausea, vomiting, and passing of dark urine

BAYCOL CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

Attorneys representing American Baycol users in a class-action lawsuit against German drug maker Bayer announced that the suit would be expanded to include Baycol users from at least six additional countries. Yesterday, plaintiffs' attorneys filed a motion with a Minnesota court adding plaintiffs from France, Canada, Egypt, Australia, Germany and Jamaica to the complaint. Bayer says the additions are inappropriate and claims that the U.S. court is without jurisdiction to hear a case prosecuted by non-Americans. Plaintiffs' attorneys disagree, arguing that since Bayer's U.S. subsidiary produced Baycol, the Minnesota court has appropriate jurisdiction


According to Bayer attorney Phillip Beck, “The total number cases filed is approximately 8,600, and, of those, the vast majority we believe involve situations where there was no adverse side effects and involve plaintiffs who benefited from our medicine and suffered no injury whatsoever.” As of January 2005, the number of total pending lawsuits was 7,577.

This number was up from an earlier report of 5,700 lawsuits involving Baycol that had been filed against Bayer in November 2002. Bayer claims to have settled around 2,861 Baycol lawsuits out of court.

The first Baycol lawsuit to go to trial in Corpus Christi, Texas, a Baycol injury case involving rhabdomyolysis, has ended in a verdict for Bayer. It was the first Baycol case to go to trial, and began mid-February 2003, and ended in mid-March 2003.

BAYCOL RECALL

On August 8, 2001 Bayer announced that it was halting production of Baycol due to the alarming number of serious side effects associated with the drug. Bayer is conducting a voluntary withdrawal down to the pharmacy level, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed with our decision. According to the FDA Talk Paper, "Patients who are taking Baycol should consult with their physicians about switching to alternate medications to control their cholesterol levels. Patients taking Baycol who are experiencing muscle pain or are taking gemfibrozil should discontinue Baycol immediately and consult their physician

Bayer will reimburse patients for unused medications. If patients ask for information regarding reimbursement for unused medication, please have them call 1-877-921-1313


FINDING A BAYCOLCLASS ACTION LAWSUIT LAWYER

If you have taken Baycol and have been diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis you should contact a lawyer immediately. You may be entitled to monetary compendation for your injuries..

The law firms featured at the top of the page can assist you with filing your claim in the Bayer Baycol Class Action Lawsuit, or in filing a seperate lawsuit, outside the Class Action.