Canadian class action over Bayer’s Baycol

Two Manitoba women have filed a class action against Bayer, maker of the cholesterol-reducing drug Baycol:

The German-based company voluntarily removed the drug from the market in August 2001 after 31 deaths were attributed to its use.

Five months later, Bayer confirmed that almost 100 deaths were linked to Baycol. It’s believed the drug has caused debilitating muscle and kidney ailments in thousands of people.

The women’s claim was approved as a class action suit by a Manitoba judge after a certification hearing last year.

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The class action suit is the first to be filed in Manitoba under a new law which sets out the procedures and rules for class action suits.

Previously, class actions were permitted in Manitoba but were difficult to pursue because there were no rules and they seldom went to trial.

The class action suit says the two women continued to experience muscle pain and loss even after they stopped taking the drug. Bayer is facing a number of class action suits as a result of the drug.