Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis is by definition a disorder involving injury to
the kidney caused by toxic effects of the contents of muscle cells.
A potentially deadly effect of statin drugs, rhabdomyolysis is
a very serious condition that can cause feelings of muscle pain,
weakness, tenderness, malaise, fever, dark urine, nausea, and
vomiting. A Baycol recall was issued in August 2001 after a very
high incidence of rhabdomyolysis was linked to the cholesterol
drug at a much higher frequency than other statin drugs.
When the Baycol recall was announced, reports of 416 cases of
rhabdomyolysis, including 31 deaths had already been made. Later,
it was found that over 100 deaths were linked to Baycol use, with
the majority of serious adverse events reported due to rhabdomyolysis.
In response to the high number of rhabdomyolysis cases, Bayer
is now battling thousands of Baycol lawsuits.
Already, Bayer has paid $477 million as of September 2003 to
settle out of court 1,342 Baycol lawsuits, with the majority of
the claims alleging instances of rhabdomyolysis. Bayer is still
facing an uphill battle with 11,000 Baycol lawsuits still pending.
Most of the rhabdomyolysis cases occurred in Baycol patients using
the statin at higher doses, in elderly patients, and when used
in combination with gemfibrozil.
For more information on rhabdomyolysis, contact
us to confer with a Baycol lawsuit lawyer.
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