Healthy Skepticism Library item: 7993

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

 

Publication type: news

Sharav VH.
Bayer Settles Baycol AG Stuits $8 million
Alliance for Human Research Protection 2007 Jan 26
http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/446/29/

Full text:

At least 100 people died because of the failure of Bayer to disclose the
lethal risks of its cholesterol-lowering drug, Baycol. The Houston Business
Journal reports: “ Bayer Corp. will pay $8 million to 30 states, including
$200,000 to Texas, as part of a settlement requiring the company to fully
disclose when drugs pose risks for patients with specific health
conditions.”

When an industry makes billions of dollars on a single product, what
possible significance does a mere $8 million fine constitute for the
company?
“Baycol was a potential blockbuster product, with global sales exceeding
$586m in 2000, showing growth of 84%, and with forecast sales in the region
of $1bn for 2001”
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=1049

Repeat legal violations: The record of recidivism by major drug
manufacturers is a matter of public record.

In high visibility cases such as Vioxx, Baycol, Fen-Phen, Rezulin, Zyprexa,
Paxil, Zoloft, Risperdal (to name but a few notorious cases) the drug
companies involved were not simply criticized for making drugs with
infrequent but grave side effects.

Instead, the legal questions were, what did the drug companies know, when
did they know it, and what did they do about it?

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav
212-595-8974
veracare@ahrp.orgThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it < This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ‘; document.write( ‘’ ); document.write( addy_text81589 ); document.write( ‘<\/a>’ ); //—>\n This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it >

http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2007/01/22/daily29.html Houston Business Journal, January 24, 2007 Bayer reaches settlement over drug disclosure Bayer Corp. will pay $8 million to 30 states, including $200,000 to Texas, as part of a settlement requiring the company to fully disclose when drugs pose risks for patients with specific health conditions. According to the settlement, Bayer failed to adequately warn physicians, pharmacies and patients of clinical studies revealing serious consequences of taking Baycol, a cholesterol-lowering drug. The company pulled the drug from the market in August 2001 due to its muscle-weakening side effects. The terms also extend to the disclosure of clinical studies involving other Bayer drugs with possibly harmful side effects. “Texans deserve to be fully informed about the adverse effects of their medications,” said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott. “This agreement ensures that patients have access to the information they need to make educated health care decisions.” The terms of the judgment require that Bayer register its clinical studies and, upon the completion of each study, post the results on the Internet. The marketing, sale and promotion of Bayer’s pharmaceutical and biological products must comply with the law and cannot include false or misleading claims. In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Baycol, a “statin” cholesterol-lowering prescription drug, which Bayer began marketing in May 1998. While patients who take statin drugs frequently experience muscle-weakening side effects, Bayer failed to disclose that its product posed significantly greater risks than did statins produced by other drug companies. Because of Bayer’s failure to disclose risks exacerbated by its product, patients who were prescribed Baycol were not informed of its potential side effects. Concealing risks in the name of profit violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

Bayer Corp. USA is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, part of the Bayer Group of
companies based in Germany. The company has facilities across the U.S.,
including Channelview and Baytown.

more information:

. NY Times: Bayer Knew of Dangers of Its Cholesterol Drug
www.cbgnetwork.org/386.html

. Bayer Held Back on Drug Dangers: www.cbgnetwork.org/288.html

. LA Times: Aspirin Can’t Cure Bayer’s Aches
www.cbgnetwork.org/506.html

Coalition against BAYER Dangers
www.CBGnetwork.org
CBGnetwork@aol.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Tel: (+49) 211-333 911 Fax: (+49) 211-333 940
please send an e-mail for receiving the English newsletter Keycode BAYER
free of charge