Baycol® Rhabdomyolysis Lawsuit

In August 2001, the extremely popular cholesterol lowering drug Baycol (generic: cerivastatin) was recalled from the U.S. market after it was linked to over 100 deaths. More specifically, Baycol was linked to “Rhabdomyolysis”, which is a condition that can lead to kidney failure and death.

If you or a loved one have taken Baycol and since been diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, kidney or renal failure or unfortunately suffered a death in the family, you should contact us immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a Baycol lawsuit and we can help.

What’s the problem?

According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) at the time of withdrawal, it had received 31 reports of deaths. These deaths were caused by Rhabdomyolysis associated with Baycol use.

In December 2004, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study showing that the risk of developing Rhabdomyolysis from the use of Baycol combined with gemfibrozil was 10 times higher than for other statins. The study also showed that approximately 1 in 10 patients would develop rhabdomyolysis.

Since the time of the original market withdrawal, Baycol has been linked to over 100 deaths due to Rhabdomyolysis, kidney failure, renal failure and/or liver toxicity. Another 385 nonfatal cases of rhabdomyolysis have been reported. This put the risk of this (rare) complication at 5-10 times higher then that of other cholesterol lowering drugs.

What is Baycol?

Baycol is a synthetic member of the class of statins, used to lower “bad cholesterol” (LDL) and prevent cardiovascular disease. Baycol works by promoting the production of “good cholesterol” high-density lipoproteins (HDL) that lowers the artery-clogging risk of high levels of LDL.
Baycol was marketed by pharmaceutical giant, Bayer A.G.

What is Rhabdomyolysis?

Rhabdomyolysis (pronounced: “rab-do my OHL-uh-sis”) is an extremely rare condition wherein skeletal muscle is damaged causing a release of toxins into the bloodstream.

In other words, Rhabdomyolysis causes the rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. The muscle damage or destruction of muscle associated with Rhabdomyolysis leads to the release of “damaged muscle cells” into the bloodstream, which then leads to the risk of acute renal failure.

Do I Have a Baycol Lawsuit?

The Defective Drug Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus exclusively on the representation of plaintiffs in Baycol lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new Baycol cases in all 50 states.

If you or a loved one have taken Baycol and since been diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, kidney or renal failure or unfortunately suffered a death in the family, you should contact us immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a Baycol lawsuit and we can help.