Baycol is the brand name under which the statin cerivastatin was marketed in the United States until August 2001 when the Bayer Pharmaceutical Division, its manufacturer, voluntarily withdrew it. Statins are a class of medication designed to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease.
Negative Side Effects
Many patients developed rhabdomyolysis while taking Baycol, a condition in which muscle cells break down and enter the blood stream. Some of these patients subsequently died, sparking a slew of wrongful death suits. Other patients suffered grave injuries that persist to this day.
Product Liability
Currently, Bayer faces 12,000 product liability suits stemming from Baycol’s effects on patients it was supposed to help. Bayer has offered settlements to patients who can prove their injuries are clearly linked to Baycol usage. For other patients, however, where the association is not as clear, Bayer has been less forthcoming, refusing settlement options and forcing litigants to go to trial. In two of these trials, Bayer prevailed against its claimants. Bayer is also liable for the misleading statements it made when marketing Baycol and has made settlements on that account with dozens of states for millions of dollars.