3. Baycol
Next on our list of drugs pulled from the market is Baycol. Made by Bayer, the prescription drug that was meant to help patients with high cholesterol was recalled after being on the market for about four years.
In 2001, Bayer voluntarily withdrew it amid reports of a deadly side effect. According to the FDA, Baycol, known generically as cerivastatin, caused the deaths of 31 individuals. The drug’s rare side effect, rhabdomyolysis, was found to destroy muscle cells.
These cells then end up in the bloodstream, causing severe muscle pain, frequently in the lower back or the calves. In rare instances, the effects are so acute that patients develop potentially fatal kidney or other organ failure.
The recall cost Bayer $1.2 billion.
