What Happened with Baycol and Why Were Manufacturers Liable?

Not all manufactured drugs are safe for consumers. Some drugs like Baycol caused adverse side effects or death and the fact was not immediately known. If you suffer a serious injury from a dangerous drug, find out how a defective drug lawyer in West Virginia can protect your rights and help you recover compensation.

Bayer produced Baycol to treat high cholesterol and launched this statin drug in 1998. By 2001, Bayer voluntarily recalled Baycol based on adverse side effects. The New York Times reported court findings from litigation brought against Bayer that revealed Bayer senior executives were aware of possible risks as early as 1997. At that time, reports came in of illness and deaths from a rare muscle condition related to the Baycol. Despite indications or trouble, the manufacturer continued to market the drug. The article said that more than 10,000 patients who took Baycol, or families of those who died from Baycol, filed lawsuits. At the time of the article, more than 400 cases had been settled for amounts ranging from $200,000 to $1.2 million. Bayer claimed that it recalled the drug because doctors failed to use it as the label instructed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved higher dosages of Baycol but noticed in 2001, a year later, there was a sharp increase in reported injuries and deaths.

Under products liability law, manufacturers are strictly liable for producing safe products. West Virginia defective drug lawyers can help you or families whose loved ones have died as a result of unsafe drugs recover compensation.

Prim Law Firm has taken on large manufacturers and their insurance companies to hold them accountable on behalf of our clients.