Statin Drugs
Statin drugs have all been linked to instances of rhabdomyolysis,
a sometimes deadly and rare disease, but in the case of Baycol
the particular statin drug had a much greater incidence of adverse
effects and death. Considered a newer statin drug, at the time
of the Baycol recall there had been 416 cases of rhabdomyolysis,
including 31 deaths associated to its use. Later, it was discovered
that the statin drug had been linked to over 100 deaths.
As a result of the Baycol statin drug recall, thousands of Baycol
lawsuits were filed, and Bayer stated that as of September 2003,
the company had paid out $477 million in Baycol settlements for
1,342 cases in the U.S. Due to the deadly effects of statin drugs
and the Baycol liability problems with the company still facing
11,000 more Baycol claims, the effectiveness of statin drugs in
general have been questioned. A clinical study released October
5, 2003 found half of British heart disease patients failed to
reduce their cholesterol after using statin drugs.
Although the use of statin drugs has continued to greatly increase
over the years, the effectiveness of them continues to be debated.
Especially in the wake of the Baycol recall, statin drugs are
sure to remain under high scrutiny. The newest FDA approved statin
drugs to enter the market have felt the effects of the scrutiny.
Many insurers are not going to cover the new statin drugs for
fear of liability after similar side effects have surfaced as
did with Baycol.
In 2001, Public Citizen consumer group petitioned the FDA to
include “black box” warnings on all of statin drugs-
the most serious warning a prescription drug can carry, to warn
of the potential risks all statin drugs carry.
For more information on statin drugs and Baycol, contact
us.
Your Baycol Recall Information Source 