LAT: Report: Bayer Held Back on Drug Dangers (Baycol)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-baycol23nov23,0,4352130,print.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Another pharmaceutical company may have concealed safety information about a dangerous drug — this time Bayer and its once-popular cholesterol medication Baycol — according to a report in a prominent medical journal.

Baycol was pulled from the market in 2001, but an analysis released Monday by the Journal of the American Medical Assn. argued there were strong indications of its dangers three months after its introduction in 1998.

The report adds to concerns that the FDA's drug monitoring system is too lax. The FDA is being criticized for its handling of Vioxx, the arthritis drug that remained on the market after concerns were raised that it increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Its manufacturer, Merck & Co., pulled Vioxx off the market in September.

Baycol belongs to a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins, which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart attacks, but have also been linked to a toxic muscle degeneration known as rhabdomyolysis, which can cause kidney problems and death.

Baycol, by far, had the highest rate of rhabdomyolysis of any statin, said Dr. Bruce Psaty, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington and the report's coauthor.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. I repeat.... the pharmaboyz are criminals. n/t

[hellhathnofury]

2. That's some damn good reporting.

I think there's something the reporters are still working on though otherwise the tone wouldn't be so parsed. Obviously, there's going to be a lot of new career opportunities for the lawyers tommorow morning. What fun ;-)

Really.