Baycol Claims Settled >
Baycol and Death
Baycol:
Baycol and Death
Baycol and
Death: Baycol was recalled on August 8, 2001 following the deaths
of 31 patients taking the drug in the U.S. Fifty-two deaths had been
reported worldwide. In 2003, there have been a number of Baycol claims
settled in the U.S. - These settlements have been involving injuries
related to a condition called rhabdomyolysis, which the patients developed
after taking the drug.
Baycol is a prescription
drug manufactured by Bayer A.G. Pharmaceutical. Baycol (cerivastatin),
which was initially approved in the U.S. in 1997, is a member of a
class of cholesterol lowering drugs that are commonly referred to
as "statins." Statins lower cholesterol levels by blocking
a specific enzyme in the body that is involved in the synthesis of
cholesterol. While all statins have been associated with very rare
reports of rhabdomyolysis, cases of fatal rhabdomyolysis in association
with the use of Baycol have been reported significantly more frequently
than for other approved statins.
Rhabdomyolysis
is a condition where the muscle cells are damaged, thus releasing
a pigment called myoglobin into the bloodstream. The kidneys, being
a filtering mechanism, suffer excessive stress in attempting to filter
the myoglobin out of the blood. This can possibly lead to kidney failure.
Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis include muscle pain, weakness, tenderness,
malaise, fever, dark urine, nausea, and vomiting. The pain may involve
specific groups of muscles or may be generalized throughout the body.
Fatal rhabdomyolysis
reports with Baycol have been reported most frequently when used at
higher doses, when used in elderly patients, and particularly, when
used in combination with gemfibrozil (LOPID and generics), another
lipid lowering drug. FDA had received reports of 31 U.S. deaths due
to severe rhabdomyolysis associated with use of Baycol, 12 of which
involved concomitant gemfibrozil use.
