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Bayer to pay $8 million in settlement with state AGs

Healthcare Auditing Weekly, February 5, 2007

Bayer Corporation will pay $8 million in a 30-state settlement regarding the marketing of its cholesterol-lowering medicine Baycol, which was withdrawn from the market in 2001.

In addition to the monetary settlement, the judgment requires Bayer to register most of its clinical trials and post the final results and prohibits Bayer from making any false or misleading claims about its drugs sold in the United States.

According to a statement from Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell, who served on the executive committee of the investigation, Bayer learned through post-marketing surveillance of Baycol that the drug carried with it the risk of muscle weakening that was significantly higher than other statins. Although Bayer informed the FDA of the findings, the state attorneys general allege that the company failed to adequately warn prescribers and consumers. Bayer denies any wrongdoing.

Visit the Vermont attorney generals' Web site to read more, including the other states involved in the settlement. Earlier this month, the Vermont attorney general reached a settlement agreement with Biogen Idec regarding the company's lateness in filing marketing financial disclosures to the state for the fiscal years 2003 and 2004.

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